The police in Lagos have
apprehended a gang of
armed robbers that
specialises in snatching
motorcycles and money
from riders at gunpoint.
According to the police, the
four-man gang, which has
hideouts in the Ishawo and
Ijede areas of Ikorodu is led
by 24-year-old Oladimeji
Orisan, who is also a son of
the traditional ruler in
Ishawo.
Apart from Orisan, the
other suspected robbers,
who were arrested by the
state Special Anti-Robbery
Squad, are Emmanuel
Olutade, Lukman Tiamiyu
and Wasiu Sikiru.
Our correspondent learnt
that the gang had snatched
over 30 motorcycles and
resold them since they
began operations in March
2014.
It was gathered that the
suspects, who sometimes
posed as passengers, lured
commercial motorcyclists in
the evening to secluded
areas where other gang
members were waiting. The
bikes and other valuables
would subsequently be
snatched from the victims
at gunpoint
The police said they
recovered two pistols and 25
live cartridges from the
gang.
It was learnt that the SARS
commander, Abba Kyari,
who led operatives to
Ikorodu, first apprehended
20-year-old Olutade on
Saturday, February 28, and
the suspect’s confession led
to the subsequent arrest of
others.
Speaking with PUNCH
Metro, the son of the
Baale, Orisan, said his
father had warned him
several times to change his
ways but he refused. He
added that he started
robbing motorcycle riders
when he joined a cult while
he was a student at a
technical college in Ogun
State.
He said, “As the second son,
my father took good care of
me but I dropped out of
school in Junior Secondary
School 2. I later attended a
technical college but joined
a cult while in school. I was
going out with them to rob
and that was where the idea
of snatching and reselling
motorcycles came.
“I formed my own gang in
2014 when I came back
from college. I bought the
guns from my cult friends. I
belonged to the Eiye
confraternity. We went for
robberies like twice a week.
We have snatched about 30
motorcycles from riders.
“We had a buyer, who we
simply called Mallam. He
bought most of the bikes at
prices ranging from N30,
000 to N70,000. He would
usually resell them too. I
was arrested by the police in
a hideout in Ishawo after
they had first apprehended
Emmanuel. My father does
not know I am into robbery.
Any time I did not come
home, he would call me and
advise me to change my
ways but I never listened. I
was just stubborn.”
Another suspect, Tiamiyu,
from Ibadan, Oyo State, said
he was an Indian hemp
seller and had also served a
jail term in Kirikiri, before
he joined the gang.
The 27-year-old suspect
said, “I was staying in the
Itupate area of Ikorodu
where I sold Indian hemp.
Deji Baale (Orisan) usually
came to my joint to smoke
and that was where I met
him. He introduced me to
the gang and I started going
on robbery operations with
them.
“Before joining the gang, I
had spent two years at the
Kirikiri Medium Prisons from
2009 to 2011. I went with
this gang on three
occasions, and we also used
my place as a hideout.”
The police revealed that
four of the stolen
motorcycles had been
recovered from the gang
while the Baale in Ishawo
had also disowned the
suspect and refused to visit
him.
The Lagos State Police Public
Relations Officer, DSP
Kenneth Nwosu, said he
would get back to our
correspondent on the
matter, but he had yet to do
so as of press time.
CC-Farano
Ishilove and other moderators.

Clean them up , those that are still in the act