Police Smash 50- Man Teenage Robbery Gang In Lagos

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad , RRS, of
the Lagos State Police Command , have smashed a
teenage robbery gang , whose members masquerade
as load carriers in Oshodi area of Lagos , arresting
six of its suspected members .
During preliminary investigation, the gang was
discovered to have over 50 teenagers as members .
Its modus operandi included posing as load carriers
or bus conductors , only to flee with their victims
valuables , which were meant to be taken into
commercial buses or across the road .
Its victims as gathered, were mainly female . Luck
ran against one of them , Ganiyu Rahman , after he
allegedly snatched a mobile phone from a female
undergraduate of the University of Lagos.
His arrest , led to those of other suspected
members of the gang . During interrogation ,
Rahman, 15, blamed his action on his parents
separation , disclosing that he was forced to join
the gang because he had no place to sleep.
According to him, “ I have been sleeping under
Oshodi Bridge since 2013, after my parents
separated . I work as a conductor and when I do not
have any bus to work with , I will join my peers to
rob and snatch valuables in Oshodi .
“Three of us stole the Microsoft phone from a
lady’ s bag . We pretended to be helping her to get
a bus , but our target was her phones . I have been
committed to 13 month rehabilitation by the Lagos
State Taskforce , but my home is in Oshodi Under
Bridge.
“We are over 50 boys . We are always at Oshodi -
Oke, from morning till late night .
‘ How we operate ’
“Some of us genuinely help people to carry their
loads, while a lot of us are there to snatch
handbags, phones and other valuables from people.
At times , we pretend to be helping them but our
focus are their valuables .
“Most times , we work in groups . While the other is
helping out , another person would steal the victim ’ s
valuables either from the bag or pocket.
“There are some other members , who forcibly
dispossess people of their belongings . They operate
in the early morning and late at night , when their
victims are helpless . ”
One of his alleged partners in crime, Sadiq
Adebayo, 15 , admitted to have stolen an Iphone and
a Phantom Tecno phone from a car , in the company
of two other members of the gang whose name he
gave as Osas and Janbele.
He said : “ We sold the two phones along with seven
other phones to Tuwo in Idi - Oro , Mushin . I got
N 7 , 000 from the proceeds . ”
Four other suspects, Timilehin Oluwaseun , 14;
Ogundare Moyinoluwa , 18 ; Toheeb Tijani, 19 ; and
Adeleke Sodiq, 17 , were reportedly apprehended ,
while allegedly stealing phones and purses from
commuters in Oshodi .
Police’ s resolve
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer,
Superintendent Dolapo Badmus, who disclosed that
the suspects had been transferred to the Lagos
State Task Force, advised parents to always
monitor the activities of their wards .
She stated that the command would not leave any
stone unturned in its resolve to rid Lagos State of
criminal elements .