Joblessness forced us into crime - Suspects
A ten-man armed robbery gang arrested for allegedly attacking people in traffic in Lagos have all confessed that they went into crime because of their state of joblessness.
Some of the suspects were arrested along rail-line at Ikeja while others were nabbed from their hideouts based on confessional statement made by the suspects.
It was learnt that their arrest is sequel to resolve by the state police command to tackle criminality in the metropolis.
The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, had deployed more men to tackle the increasing cases of traffic robbery in the state.
The Commissioner has rejigged the command's strategies to suppress, raid and arrest hoodlums at the identified areas/hideouts across the state.
One of the suspects, Olamide
Johnson, 22, told police interrogators at the command headquarters, Ikeja, that he and members of the gang went into robbery because of their joblessness.
"We don't want to wait to die of hunger that was why we embarked on the easy way out, which is robbery. We never knew that it is not so easy like we thought" he said.
Lagos State Police Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, who spoke on the arrest, said the command regularly arrested traffic robbers for allegedly being involved in acts of terror.
Adejobi said during most of the attacks, the suspects had allegedly dispossessed innocent people of their belongings in the state.
"In furtherance of the command's anti-crime measures, the police operatives attached to the Strike Team of the Command, on May 1, 2021, at 2pm, arrested 11 suspected cultists and traffic robbers who were attacking and dispossessing innocent people of their belongings at Railway Crossing, Ikeja, along, IkejaLagos.
"The operatives who responded to a distress call from one of the victims (name withheld), raced to the area and arrested some of the suspects in action while others were arrested at their hideouts.
"They have confessed to the crime. The suspects also revealed that they attack their targets with iron rods, guns, cutlasses and charms during operation.
"In the course of police investigation, the suspects identified one of their receivers as Idris Adamu, 42. He was immediately arrested at Alade Market, Lagos State.
"A gold necklace of one of the victims and many other suspected stolen items like phones, necklaces, watches etc., were recovered from him" he said.
He said police operatives are presently interrogating the suspects in order to extract more information on their mode of operations, membership and accomplices so as to apprehend other members of the gang and those who conspire with them in committing the dastardly act in the area and across the state.
"The suspects are Sadiq Masaki, 22, Oladimeji Olatunbosun, 24, Adam Hassan, 21, Tunde Afolayan, 24, Michael Ademola, 22, Olamide Johnson, 20, Abiodun Opeyemi, 22, Oluseyi Agbaje, 21, Daniel Ayomide, 20 and Adebayo Tobi, 21.
"The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered that the Strike Team should profile the suspects and go after their gang members and conspirators as the command will not spare anyone who engages in any act of criminality, no matter its magnitude" he said.