Olalekan Olabulo reports the arrest of a suspected member of a gang of armed robbers responsible for the attack on a showroom in which six people, including three policemen, were killed last year.
IT was a gang of 11 members whose operations left many residents of Lagos State in sorrow, tears, blood and deaths. They not only terrorised and made lives miserable for law abiding residents of the state but also, at different times, wreaked havoc on security agencies, killing policemen in the process.
However, the game is now up for the dreaded gang as men of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad at Adeniji Adele have arrested four members of the notorious gang that in December 2011 invaded Oshodi showroom of Thermocool, where they not only went away with a huge amount of money but also killed six people, including three policemen, a pregnant woman and a motorcyclist.
Three members of the gang had some months ago been arrested but the armourer, Tunde Oyebade, was a few days ago, arrested after months of hide and seek. The arrested armourer had since confessed to being a member of the gang, though he denied having actively participated in any of the major operations of the team. He stated that he was “only” responsible for taking the arms used by the gang to and away from scenes of robbery. He however blamed his involvement with the gang on poverty.
Oyebade, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, however claimed to have been ostracised from the gang, following what the leader described as his bad luck. Some members of the gang were arrested during an operation and the leader blamed it on his bad luck, since he was the newest member of the gang at that time
The suspect, while narrating his experience, stated that it all started in 2007, when he got in contact with Fatai Suleiman, who happened to be his benefactor but was later identified as the leader of the robbery gang.
“I met him (Suleiman) when I was working as a furniture maker. Things were difficult at that time and I was struggling to make ends meet. We met around Pleasure Bust Stop in Abule Egba area and he promised to lift me,” the suspect narrated to the Nigerian Tribune.
He further disclosed that true to his words, “Suleiman gave me contracts that were not even part of my work as he gave me some aluminium roofing contract on Lagos Island and when the contract ceased, he bought a vehicle, which was already painted in Lagos commercial colour, for me.
“He told me that he would also be using the vehicle and whenever he needed it he would tell me to bring it to where he would meet me and later he would call me to come and pick it. I did not know that the vehicle was being used to keep their guns,” the suspect claimed.
The suspected gang armourer also stated that “the first time that I noticed there were guns in the bus was when I was washing it. I suddenly discovered a compartment under the back seat. Out of curiosity, I opened the box and I was confounded to find arms and ammunition.”
The police recovered one pump action gun, two pistols, four AK rifles and four magazines from the gang members but the suspect claimed that those were not the ones he kept for the gang.
“In 2008, Suleiman and some other members of the gang were arrested after an operation and were prosecuted and sent to Kirikiri Prison but he (Suleiman) kept in touch with the members that were not arrested and when he came out they formed a new gang that excluded me,” Oyebade said.
He also stated that “The gang came up again after Suleiman was released from prison. He started by forming a new squad. He travelled to Oyo State and returned with two A K 47 rifles. He told me that he would not work with me again. He accused me of bringing ill luck to him.”
On the Oshodi incident that led to the death of three policemen from Akinpelu Divisional Police Station, the suspect claimed that the gang had no intention of killing anybody.
According to him, he had heard the news on the radio and the explanation from Suleiman showed that they had no intention of killing the policemen. In his words, “When I heard the news of the killing on radio, I was shocked. I called Suleiman to confirm and he did. He got angry an asked me to mind my business. I was so worried because of the number of people that died.”
He added, “That evening I met him at Pleasure Bus Stop and he told me that he could not explain what happened. He said that the operation was supposed to be a smooth one and that their mission was upset by an unidentified person. He said people were not supposed to get involved in it in anyway.
The suspect ruefully denied his involvement in the killing of innocent people and pledged to turn a new leaf if released.
culled from tribune.com.ng
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