How we are robbing vehicles in Lagos – Suspects

In a shocking confession, a gang of robbery suspects arrested in connection with a string of bus robberies in Lagos have revealed the tactics they employed to carry out their crimes. According to the suspects, who spoke to investigators at the Lagos State Police Command, they targeted commercial buses plying busy routes during peak hours […]

In a shocking confession, a gang of robbery suspects arrested in connection with a string of bus robberies in Lagos have revealed the tactics they employed to carry out their crimes.

According to the suspects, who spoke to investigators at the Lagos State Police Command, they targeted commercial buses plying busy routes during peak hours by pretending to be stranded passengers.

Taiwo Alabi, 42, while narrating the gang’s operation to the police, said they would board the buses at designated stops, pretending to be ordinary passengers, before striking at unsuspecting victims.

“We would often target passengers who appeared affluent or were carrying large amounts of cash,” one of the suspects confessed. 

“We also preyed on passengers who were distracted or asleep, making it easier for us to steal their belongings,” Taiwo alleged.

The suspects, whose names were given as Taiwo Alabi (42), Ogedengbe Lowis (46), Ighodalo Enato Francis (37), and Osaro Eghe Abiodun (34), explained that they worked in groups of three to five, with each member playing a specific role.

“One member would create a diversion, while another would snatch valuables from passengers. The third member would serve as a lookout, alerting the others to any potential threats,” Taiwo explained. The suspects also revealed that they used various tactics to evade detection, including changing their appearances and using different modes of transportation to escape.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the arrest, saying that the operation was a major breakthrough in the command’s ongoing fight against violent crimes in the state.

Adebisi disclosed that detectives and crack operatives of the Lagos State Police Command’s Tactical Squads successfully smashed the notorious and vicious armed robbery and car-snatching gang after weeks of discrete investigation.

The spokesperson stated that the gang is responsible for a series of violent attacks on vehicle owners.

“The suspects specialized in entering vehicles as passengers and, while in transit, dispossessing the owners of their vehicles at gunpoint,’’ the police spokesman said.