One of the nine suspects being detained by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, Kolawole Ajayi, has confessed that he learnt how to rob in Computer Village, Ikeja,Lagos three years ago.
He said he went to Computer Village to buy and sell phones and computers ,but could not make a headway because he had no enough capital to start on his own in a big way.
Later, he approached Emeka to help him get some phones and computers which he would sell in order to make a lot of money to start business on his own.
Instead of helping him, he took him to a beer parlour in Ikeja. There, he met a lot of criminals who lured him into robbery. He later dropped selling phones and faced armed robbery squarely.
Kolawole, aged 28, from Abeokuta, Ogun State, said: “It was at Computer Village that I learnt how to buy stolen goods.
“I was caught by the police in 2006 for buying stolen laptops. I was charged to the Igbosere Magistrate Court. I was later released on bail from Ikoyi Prisons. In 2007, I was remanded in Kirikiri Prisons for robbing shops of laptops and phones at gunpoint. I was taken to Ikeja High Court, and I was discharged and acquitted after spending two years in detention. I was arrested during the third robbery operation.
“I met members of my gang in Ikeja in May 2012. Their names are Italo, Femi, Sylvester and Lucky.
“There, we exchanged phone numbers and discussed how to carry out operations. We then went to a compound in Ketu. The gate was open, and we entered. We robbed people inside. We stole money and laptops. Later, we went to Ogudu to rob people of phones, jewellery and money. The robbery that dragged us into this trouble was the one we carried out at Dolphin in Lagos. Our informant was one Caro. She gave us information about a man and his wife. We climbed the gate.
“When we entered, we broke the door. We stole a lot of the family’s belongings,including jewellery.
The second suspect, Sylvester Okafor, aged 25,from Aniocha in Delta State, said: “I belonged to two gangs. I later left one . I participated in three robberies. They were all at Ikorodu, In one we snatched a car.”
The third suspect, Sobowale, aged 32, is from Ilesa, Osun State.He said: “My brother, Ayo, brought me to Lagos. I only participated in three operations. I was sent to Ikoyi Prisons for stealing a car. I spent four years there. I later repented. I am now a pastor.”
The fourth suspect, Femi Shosanya, 28, is from Shagamu in Ogun State. He said : “I was with Kolawole when we robbed a house in Magodo, Lagos. I was arrested, while Kolawole and others escaped. It was a terrible night.”
The fifth suspect, Lucky John, 38, from Efuru in Warri, Delta State. He said: “I am a driver. The owner of the bus I was driving rendered me jobless when he collected his bus from me. Later I joined the National Union of Road Transport Workers. It was when I had an accommodation problem that I met Kolawole at a night club. There, I was initiated into his gang. My role was to watch people passing in order to alert the gang, if there was a problem. I only robbed twice. First time, I was arrested in Ketu, Lagos . I was tortured. Later, I was released me. The second one was at Allen Avenue, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos.”
The sixth suspect, Ebere Chukwu, 28, from Abia State, said: “I was driving a bus, and when it spoilt, I started looking for work. One of my friends asked me whether I could drive a taxi and I said yes. Later, he took me to Kolawole. Kolawole employed me. He later said I should prepare for a robbery operation. We carried out an operation at Ojota, I was given N3,000. It was during my second attempt to rob that was I was caught.”
The seventh suspect, Ugochukwu Okechukwu, 28, from Imo State, said: ”I had a problem, and I was sent to Ikoyi Prisons for six months. When I came out, I had nobody to stay with. I met a gang member, Italo (Lekan Shobowale), at a smoking joint at Oyingbo. He took me to Kolawole. We carried out three operations, two at Ojota and one at Magodo.”
The eighth suspect, Ali Mohammed, 30, from Kogi State, said: “I knew Kolawole before he was jailed. When he came back from prison, he stayed with me. I thought he was a yahoo yahoo boy. I participated in two operations.”
The ninth suspect, Chibueze Nkwocha, 27, from Awka in Anambra State, said: “I told my junior brother, Chijeoke, to assist me with some money to establish a small business. He asked me to come to Lagos. As I came to Lagos and called him on the phone, he was switched off. Later I met one Ndukwe. When I told him my problem, he arranged a robbery where I got N4,000.
“He later took me to Kolawole. In another operation with Kolawole, I got N2,000 because we were not completely successful. It was when Ndukwe told me of another robbery which I participated that I was caught.”
He swore he had given his life to Christ, and if released unconditionally, he would never rob again.
Commenting on the arrest of the suspects, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Manko, said when two of the suspects were transferred to the SARS from Dolphin Estate, the SARS used Kolawole to track down the rest of the gang members.
