Woman, 54, other arrested for robbery in Lagos

Detectives attached to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Intelligence Response Team  (IRT) have arrested two suspected members of an armed robbery gang who attack ATM users in and arround along Allen Avenue and Opebi area of Lagos State. Among those arrested is a 54-year-old pepper seller identified as Basirat Akinmushire, aka Area Mama. The […]

Detectives attached to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Intelligence Response Team  (IRT) have arrested two suspected members of an armed robbery gang who attack ATM users in and arround along Allen Avenue and Opebi area of Lagos State.

Among those arrested is a 54-year-old pepper seller identified as Basirat Akinmushire, aka Area Mama.

The police said Area Mama happens to be gang armourer in that she allegedly keeps the gang’s weapons behind her makeshift store at Jakande Estate, Isolo.

The police identified the other member as Olatunde Adetunji, 31  and that the duo also belong to Eiye confraternity operating around Isolo.

Our correspondent gathered that Adetunji, was arrested after he led his gang to attack a middle-aged woman and her sales girl, who were on their way to a bank at Opebi area in Ikeja.

It was also learnt that during the attack the gang collected huge sums running into millions of Naira and some cell phones.

The police revealed that Adetunji, was arrested few days later when the woman, identified him on Toyin Street Ikeja, while he was planning to rob another ATM user.

The police said the woman raised alarm that alerted operatives of the IRT who raced to the scene and apprehended Adetunji, a university drop-out.

He was said to have confessed during interrogation by the IRT led by DCP Abba Kyari, that members of his gang normally carry out their operation which includes armed robbery and cult related killings within Lagos State and he added that the guns were normally kept with a gang member who resides at Isolo area of the state.

Adetunji, according to the police led detectives to a market in Jakande Low Cost Housing Estate in Isolo where some guns were recovered. The police disclosed that Area Mama who owns the shop where the guns were kept was then arrested.

During interrogation, police said that Area Mama confessed to have given two of the guns to another senior member of the gang known as Junior a.k.a Jungle. It was further gathered that Adetunji told police investigators that the gang normally pay Area Mama N5,000 after each operation.

In the copy of his confessional statement cited by our reporter, Adetunji reportedly said, “I am a member of Eiye confraternity. I was initiated while at the university in Ogun State. I dropped out of school in my 300 level. I came back home to join members of my cult group in Jakanda Estate and I discovered that they had already procured an Ak-47 rifle and a revolver pistol.

“They told me that they bought the gun from a soldier and that they keep their arms in the care of Area Mama, who is also a member of our cult group. She normally hides the gun at the back of her shop where she sells pepper and tomatoes.”

But Area Mama in her own confessional statement, said that Adetunji and Jungle forced her into keeping the guns for the group as a member of their cult gang.

“I took an oath when I joined the group but I didn’t know that they will assign the duty of keeping their guns to me. I tried to protest against keeping the gun for them but they threatened to kill me,” she said.