We did not Rape, Touch Abducted Girls, Kidnap Kingpin Confesses

Two hours after the three abducted female students of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary (BMJS), Ikorodu, were rescued by the police, the kidnap kingpin, one Emmanuel Arigidi in an exclusive interview with THISDAY said they did not rape or beat the girls.

Asked on why they targeted and abducted the girls he said he could not readily explain, adding that while the girls were in their custody, they were not harmed.

He also told THISDAY that they attacked the school after they parked their seven canoes at the edge of Adama Creeks.

He said they escaped from the school using the canoes since the water was too shallow for their boats to ply on.

The suspect is at the moment being taken to the Lagos State Police Command by the Officer-in-charge of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (SIRT), ACP Abba Kyari.

To fast track the release of the girls, Arase had on Thursday deployed the Special Intelligence Response Team (SIRT) to compliment the efforts of the Lagos State Command.

On how the girls were released, a senior police officer, who spoke to THISDAY on anoymity, said Arigidi was arrested from Adama Creeks after he had came out to buy food.

The police source said they had earlier infiltrated the gang and mopped up their parents in a bid to force the hand of the kidnappers.

After Arigidi was arrested, one of fathers of two other gang members, who are still at large, was called in to speak with him and he gave them directions to the creeks.

When he got to the creeks, he was said to have appealed to their baser nature, while informing them that the police have arrested one of their gang members.

He also told them that if they dont release the girls, that the police had stationed their helicopters for aerial bombardment.

Seeing no other way out, the suspects quickly took the girls to Igbo-Okuta Bridge, Imota, dropped them their and called in anonymously.

The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, who slept at the area last night, quickly stormed the bridge and carted the girls away to safety.

The girls have since been taken away by their respective parents to be refreshed and consequently taken for medical tests.

We did not Rape, Touch Abducted Girls, Kidnap Kingpin Confesses

We planned Ikorodu bank robbery in 30 minutes - suspect confesses

LAGOS—As fresh facts begin to emerge about the Ikorodu banks robbery operation where N80 million was reportedly carted away a fortnight ago, one of the suspects has revealed that they planned the operation at a meeting that lasted 30 minutes.

It was also discovered that 12 members of the gang were recruited from the Niger Delta region.

This is just as the four suspects arrested in connection with the operation, which lasted close to two hours, have confessed that their gang was responsible for similar operations at Ijede road three weeks before that of Ipakodo also at Ikorodu, and that of Lekki, where five persons, including three policemen, were killed.

The arrested suspects include Omoboye, alias Alarm blow, 39; Bright, 25; Ikuesan, 37, and Abiwa, 20

The robbery suspects paraded Monday in Lagos.

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The bank robbery, according to Bright, was carried out by an 18-man gang. Bright, a graduate of English/Christian Religious Study, CRS, from the College of Education, Ekiadolor, Edo State, said a meeting with members of the gang, chaired by the gang’s leader, whose identity he gave as Million, was held in Abule area of Lagos same day the operation was carried out.

‘My role’

The father of two said: “Million is our leader. I was introduced to the gang by a friend named Akpan. I joined because I had no means of feeding my family. I am a wood logger, but business has been bad.

“Akpan took me to the gang’s meeting same day of the operation, on June 24, at Abule Ishawo area of Ikorodu. Those of us from Lagos included myself, M. O., Kelvin, S. K. Careboy and Million, while the rest were recruited from Warri, Delta State, by Million.

“He also brought eight rifles and two pump action guns from Warri, including the two operational vehicles. He taught us how to aim at our targets during the meeting, which lasted 30 minutes, with each of us instructed on what to do on reaching the venue.

“My role was to stand outside, with one of the pump action guns, shooting sporadically. I was also instructed to shoot at anyone who dared to intrude, while the boys recruited from Warri confronted the police.

“I had over 900 cartridges. At the end of the operation, we escaped in a fibre boat and went to the creeks, where the loot was shared. At the creeks, we analysed the operation and Million said we did well, promising to use us for subsequent operations.”

 

‘I got N2m’

“I was not allowed to go near where the money was counted. Million and other leaders counted the money. But Akpan told me they got N80 million. I was given N2 million.

“I bought a Lexus SUV for N1.5 million and I gave my wife N30,000 to enrol for an exam. I also gave some of my friends out of it and also bought jerry cans for my brother, who is a pipeline vandal.

“Million instructed those from Warri to set the operational vehicles ablaze before leaving the scene. That was after the numbers plates were removed.

“He collected the cost of the cars from the loot before sharing the rest among us. That was my first time of joining them. I did not go with them to the Lekki and Ijede banks operations.”

 

Lekki, Ijede’s  robbery operation

On his part, Omoboye, a boat operator, said that he conveyed the gang to all the three bank operations.

Omoboye, popularly known as Baba Ibeji, said he was given N400,000 from Lekki’s operation and N2 million each from the Ijede and Ipakodo bank robberies.

He said: “At the end of the last bank operation at Ipakodo, my boat developed a fault as we were escaping. If the police had come after us, they would have arrested some of us. But the leader of the gang called another boat operator to take us.

“On reaching their hideout at Abule Ishawo, they did not allow us in because we were considered strangers that could sell them out to the police.

“I got N400,000 from the Lekki operation, N2 million from the Ijede’s and N2 million from the Ipakodo operation.

“We are into illegal oil bunkering; we vandalise pipelines and also rob people in the creeks. I have two wives and five children, but my wives do not know I am into armed robbery.

“I bought a Lexus SUV for N1.15 million, four days after the last operation.”

My promise to Lagosians—OUTGOING CP

Briefing journalists earlier on the arrest, the outgoing Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, pointed out that the arrest was a demonstration of his earlier assurance to Lagosians that no criminal would perpetrate any sinister motive without being arrested.

 

We planned Ikorodu bank robbery in 30 minutes - suspect confesses

Police arrest four suspected Ikorodu bank robbery

The Police have made a breakthrough in their investigation of the June 24 Ikorodu bank robbery. They have arrested four of the perpetrators.

Police Inspector General, Solomon Arase

The arrest of one of them in Ondo was said to have led to the arrest of others in Ikorodu on Saturday.

The suspects are Promise, who was arrested in Ondo, Baba Ibeji, Bright and Monday.

Soldiers were said to have arrested Promise, who sources described as  “prime suspect”, while on his way to his okitipupa home town in Ondo State, during a stop-and-search.

The soldiers reportedly found bundles of new N1000 notes with bank seals in his bag.

The soldiers transferred him to the Lagos Command following the request of former state Commissioner of Police Kayode Aderanti.

Initially, the lone suspect denied knowledge of the robbery, but he later confessed.

He told the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) how they carried out the operation.

His confession led to the arrest of his accomplices by a crack team of SARS operatives.

Former officer-in-charge (O-I-C) of SARS, Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police (SP), who has been transferred to Abuja, is coordinating the investigation. He is being assisted by James Okeke, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), who until his transfer to Area F Division, was a SARS operative.

Okeke led the team, which arrested the three other suspects in Ikorodu.

The suspects have confessed, saying they spent their loot on exotic cars and landed properties. The three vehicles-two Lexus SUV and a Nissan SUV have since been recovered by the police.

The command spokesman, Kenneth Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said details of the arrest would soon be made public.ax

Police arrest four suspected Ikorodu bank robbery

Ikorodu robbery: Angry Nigerians react as Police move to ascertain owners of operational vehicles

By Evelyn Usman

LAGOS—UNEASY calm pervaded Ipakodo area of Ikorodu, yesterday, scene of  Wednesday’s bank robbery operation which was led by a lady, during which  everyone was held  spell bound  in a shooting spree that lasted close to two hours.

Consequently, the affected banks were not open for business transactions, as repairs were being carried out on the damaged property. One of the banks had its affected areas like the Automated Teller Machine gallery,  its doors and  roof covered with planks as repairs were ongoing. Some bank staff were also sighted between 8 and 9am but later left. No customer visited either of the ATMs.

Some shops around the area were also under lock and key while residents expressed fear over the  incident which they described as  a theatre of war.

However,  life has returned to the jetty operated by Origin Gardens,  which served as escape route for the  robbers, with  canoe operators  conveying passengers from one end to the other.

The jetty owner, Mr. Fehinti Adeola Kosoko said the incident did not hinder the day-to-day activity at the jetty .Another operator who simply gave his name as Lekan said: “Life has to go on. We are happy that no life was lost yesterday (Wednesday).  The fact that they took this route to escape does not mean we facilitated their escape because we all fled with our canoes in order not to be seen as being on their way.  So, the incident does not hinder us from conveying passengers “.

Another resident who identified himself as Mr Chigozie Onyeka, blamed lack of security on the waterways as cause for the spate of robbery in Ikorodu..

A visibly angry Onyeka said: “What are the Marine Police and Navy doing? Whose responsibility is to patrol these waters. Last month, a similar attack on two banks happened at Ijede  area of Ikorodu , with the bandits escaping  through the lagoon. Yesterday’s was the same thing, as  the jetty also served as their escape route . Are the security operatives waiting for people to die before they will take  necessary action?”

Residents, including those at the jetty were heard giving different versions of how the robbery attack which they described as movie-like occurred.

At the Ipakodo Police  division,  armed policemen were sighted manning their respective positions. A  patrol van from Shagamu Road Division, later joined by a convoy from the Area ‘N’ command were sighted in the division’s  premises, inspecting the level of damage.

Although there were no signs of immediate repairs going on at the station but the two  operational  Sports Utility Vehicles, SUV, said to have been set ablaze by the robbers  after removing the number plates, apparently to avoid giving out any clue,   had been removed from the Ipakodo division. Only one vehicle, a Nissan Serena car reportedly owned by a lady police officer was seen in the premises. Its windscreen was shattered by bullets from the robbers and its body also riddled with bullets  during the exchange of gun fire.

The walls of the station were also perforated by bullets. Police sources hinted that a policeman injured during the ensuing gun battle was recuperating at the Ikorodu General Hospital where he was rushed to alongside two others. It was also gathered that the injured commercial  motorcyclist had been discharged from the hospital.

 

Ikorodu robbery: Angry Nigerians react as Police move to ascertain owners of operational vehicles

Breaking: Ikorodu monarch, Oba Oyefusi, dies at 83

The Ayangburen of Ikorodu and Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, Oba Salaudeen Afolabi Oyefusi, is dead.

A statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ademorin Kuye, on Sunday stated that Oba Oyefusi died on Saturday at the age of 83.

Kuye said, “With gratitude to God for a life well spent and in meritorious service to his people, Lagos State Government regrets to announce the passing on to glory of the Ayangburen of Ikorodu and Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, Oba Salaudeen Afolabi Oyefusi (OON), which sad event occurred August 2, 2014.

“He was aged 83. Funeral arrangement will be announced later.”

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Breaking: Ikorodu monarch, Oba Oyefusi, dies at 83