The Nation Newspaper

Tag: robbery attacks

  • Seized estate: Residents decry robbery attacks, insecurity

    •I don’t have property in estate, says U-Tech VC

    Six weeks after the forceful occupation of about 250 houses in Ire Akari Estate at Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, by suspected hoodlums, residents yesterday cried out over increasing insecurity and incessant robbery attacks in the area.

    They said life and property were no longer safe in the estate.

    The residents said they were being attacked by thugs day and night for alleged failure to part with their money.

    About 7,000 residents live in the estate with over 250 buildings.

    The siege was said to have affected the homes of some prominent individuals, including President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Waheed Odusile, and Vice Chancellor, Technical University (U-Tech), Oyo State, Prof Ayobami Salami.

    But the vice chancellor said he had no building in the troubled estate and that he never lived in any house in the place.

    Salami, who spoke through the university’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Femi Babatunde, noted that the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Adesola Ajayi, once lived in the estate in an apartment he rented personally.

    Babatunde added: “He (Salami) has since relocated from the area. Even at that, the house in which Prof. Ajayi once lived was not affected by the incident.”

    Trouble started about two months ago, when the families of Chief Emmanuel Ashamu, Chief Femi Majekodumi, Oyenike Ogunsola and the late Ganiyu Bello secured a Supreme Court judgment ceding part of the 30-year-old estate to them.

    The Chairman of Ire Akari Estate Landlords Association, Adetunji Adelani, told The Nation yesterday that security in the estate had worsened.

    The chairman said residents lived in fear.

    He said efforts to bring peace had proved abortive as hoodlums broke into people’s homes at will.

    Adelani, who urged well-meaning Nigerians to rescue the residents from hoodlums, said over 85 per cent of the affected property were sold to them by the families that secured the judgment.

    He said: “We have been to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the Olubadan’s palace and held meetings with the families that own the land, according to the judgment. And we have agreed to pay N200,000. At least, over 99 out of the 250 house owners have started paying. Yet, the hoodlums have refused to let us have peace.

    “Many have started relocating from the estate while some have even died of shock since this crisis started. We are forced to be paying money before we can go out of the estate as the thugs have taken over the whole place.

    “That is why we are appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to help us because we don’t want anarchy in this estate.”

     

  • 13 remanded for Lagos, Ogun bank robberies

    13 remanded for Lagos, Ogun bank robberies

    Chief Magistrate O. I. Adelaja (Mrs.) of an Ebute-Metta Chief Magistrates’ Court Monday remanded 13 armed robbery suspects, who were accused of being behind several bank robberies that rocked Lagos and Ogun States since March last year.

    The men include: Clement Abanara, 42; Dennis Njoku, 30; Ebi Blessing, 28; Sunday Olotu, 33; John Sabajoh, 35; Idowu Sobijoh, 32; Ainriyemipate Joseph Wisdom, 27.

    Others are: Opeyemi Balogun, 32; Olamilekan Morounkeji, 32; Ayodeji Fanimeye, 40; Mike Adebayo, 57; Monsuru Ahmed Adisa, 46; and Daniel Ukaeju, 50.

    The prosecutors, Lagos State Police Command Officer-in-Charge of Legal Department, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) A. Eno-Edobor and Barrister Goddey Osuyi, informed the court that all 13 men took part in bank robberies that happened in Lagos and Ogun State from March 2015 till date.

    In asking for a remand of the suspects, they informed the court that the application was pursuant to section 264(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The application was supported with a nine-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Dele Ojo Odunnayo, of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS) of the Command.

    The sought for a remand order of 30 days to enable the Directorate of Public Prosecution, (DPP,) issue an advice on the matter.

    Attempt by the defendants’ counsels, Jasper Omomheni, for first, second and fifth defendants; Sporgeon Ataene, for third, sixth and seventh defendants; Imelda Adebambo, for twelfth and thirteenth defendants; Abikoye O. I. for ninth, tenth and eleventh defendants; and O. O. Quadri for eighth defendant, to argue for their bail was opposed by the prosecutors, who informed the court that what was before it was a remand application not a charge.

    Consequently, Mrs. Adeleja, remanded all 13 men in prison custody till May 11.

    She also ordered the police to duplicate the suspects’ case files and forward it to the DPP’s office for advice.

    In the nine-count charge attached to the remand application, the police alleged that all the 13 suspects took part in the bank robberies that occurred in FESTAC, Ikorodu and Lekki areas of Lagos State, and Agbara in Ogun State.

    It was also alleged that all the suspects on October 13, 2015, while armed with AK47s, Diamantes and other offensive weapons, robbed the 4th Avenue FESTAC branches of Diamond Bank and Access Bank of N27 million and N29 million respectively.

    They were also alleged to have on June 18, 2015, while armed with same dangerous weapons robbed First Bank Plc of the sum N19 million, $3,470, and 40 Euros. And on March 12, 2015, robbed the Lekki branch of FCMB of the sum of N26, 005,664.00.

    The suspects were also alleged to have on June 24, 2015 attacked and robbed the Ipakodo branch of First Bank Plc of the sum of N19 million, $2,759, and £120 Pound Sterling, and a branch of Zenith Bank Plc of the sum of N80,524,102.00.

    The police further claimed that on November 19, 2015 at about 9.30am the suspects attacked the Agbara branch of Zenith bank Plc. and dispossessed it of N110 million.

    They were also accused of killing three police officers who were on official duty at the Lekki branch of FCMB on March 12, 2015.

    The deceased are: Inspector Bethel Agbodu; Sergeant Odehohwo and Corporal Imoisu Ikechukwu.

    They were also alleged to have killed on Jane Ebere Ndirika, aged 39, and her daughter Mmesomia aged a year and two months, at the 4th Avenue FESTAC on October 1, 2015.

    The offences, according to the prosecution, are contrary to and punishable under Sections 295(2) and 231: 295(2): and 221 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

     

  • Ogun allays fear of robbery attacks

    Ogun allays fear of robbery attacks

    OGUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has allayed the fear that suspected robbers had perfected plans to attack banks and other businesses in Ijebuland.

    Amosun said the fear of the robbery attacks in Ijebu-Ode and Ago-Iwoye resulted from rumours in circulation, assuring that no robbery operation could be carried out without the perpetrators being caught.

    The governor, who gave the assurance in Ijebu-Igbo, home town of the late Afenifere leader, Senator Abraham Adesanya, said the state’s security arrangements were tight and well-organised that violent criminals could not perpetrate their acts without being arrested by the security agencies.

    Amosun was Ijebu-Igbo, the headquarters of  Ijebu North Local Government Council on assessment tour of the area and spoke in reaction to reports that commercial banks in Ijebuland closed shops  over rumoured planned attack by suspected robbers.

    But  the governor said given the security system on ground, robbery incidents in the state would definitely be foiled, and if carried out, the people involved would be quickly arrested.

    Amosun said: “Ogun State is now a secured state; security is for all of us and we as government, we will do our best.

    “Please let all of us be rest assured that there cannot be any armed robbery attack in our communities. Ogun State of today is not the Ogun State of yesterday. Things are now different.”

    He said any faulty Amoured Personnel Carriers (APC) in Ijebuland would be fixed for proper functioning.

  • Motorists bemoan ‘worsening’ robbery attacks

    Motorists bemoan ‘worsening’ robbery attacks

    Motorists are appealing to Lagos State Police chief Umar Manko to save them from incessant attacks by hoodlums in traffic gridlock.

    The commissioner, they said, should direct his men to be on foot patrol during heavy traffic to check hoodlums’ activities.

    “The commissioner has proved to be a disciplined officer who is ruthless when it comes to crime-fighting. Available records show that he has arrested notorious armed robbers, kidnappers, fraudsters and other criminals that have been terrorising us; but he must not sleep yet,” said motorist, Chief Muniru Alani. He added: “In the past few weeks, I have been attacked in traffic snarls by armed robbers. This is why the commissioner must do more. He has a lot of work to do.”

    Last Thursday, around 9 pm, over 15 armed men reportedly terrorised motorists around 1st Rainbow bus stop, inwards Mile 2 on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

    The attack, according to eyewitnesses, was made possible by the bad spot on the route, where motorists slow down to avoid damaging their vehicles.

    The problem was worsened by the narrowing of the highway from that point because of the ongoing road construction; some heavy-duty vehicles blocked a major part.

    An eyewitness, Emma Nwachukwu, said: “When I noticed that the hoodlums were attacking and robbing motorists and even passengers of commercial vehicles, I slowed down because I was about 20 metres away from where they were operating. I quickly thought of what to do. And I was lucky to veer through the link road that leads to ABC Transport Company. That was how I escaped from the robbers. But about five vehicles were robbed in that incident.

    “The irony is that about 30 metres away from where this ugly incident occurred, there was a police patrol team looking for motorists to stop, demand particulars, and extort money from. There is also a police post opposite there; still, motorists drive in fear. The commissioner of Police and Area Commander in charge of the place should call their men to order and advise them on how to do these things right. They should not wait until someone is killed by these hoodlums in the traffic before they will swing into action.”

    Nwachukwu said it was not the first time he was witnessing such incident, adding that he had also fallen victim at Mile2.  “It is an incident that occurs every day and I believe that the moment the hoodlums know that the police are living up to their responsibility by arresting them, they would stay off the roads,” he added.

    Other motorists said the same incident often happened whenever there was traffic jam at the popular Toyota under bridge from Orile to Mile 2; between Contain Bridge and Orile/Alakija area along Mile 2/Badagry Expressway.

    At Toyota under bridge, just by the link road to Airport Road from Oshodi, two motorcycles belonging to the Rapid Response Squad of the state police command are always parked there with no policeman in sight, while robbers have a field day robbing motorists.

    Motorists going to Airport Road from Mile 2, it was gathered, are not spared, despite the presence of an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), not too far from a newspaper house.

    Similarly, whenever a vehicle breaks down in most part of the metropolis, hoodlums will appear from nowhere, pretend that they want to assist the driver and rob him.

    A victim told The Nation that he had a flat tyre along Apapa/Oshodi Expressway and before he knew what was happening, about 10 hoodlums rushed out from nowhere and offered to help him push the car off the road; but because he was with his driver, he rejected the offer.

    “The next thing they did was to start demanding money. They said I should give them N20,000 or they would vandalise the car. I pleaded with them and gave them N10,000 because I had my phones, laptop and tablet in the car. The hoodlums took the money and disappeared,” the victim said.