The Lagos State Police Command, on Wednesday, arrested and paraded suspects who robbed an hotel around Oju Elegba area of the state.
Their names were given as, Sule Saidi, 18, Daniel Ajayi, 24, Tunde Sheu, 20, and Waheed Leke, 23.
The police said they recovered two locally-made pistols from the suspects, when they allegedly stole a mobile phone and the sum of N10, 000.
According to one of the suspects, Sule Saidi, is an indigene of Kwara state, and an aluminum fabricator, “We were coming from a party (naming ceremony) on Wednesday night at exactly 10pm with my friends; and we were four in numbers; we decided to lodge in a hotel that night till the following day, but we were lodged in separately rooms.”
Saidi added that, “Suddenly, we got information that they were looking for phone and money at the same time; and we didn’t have any knowledge of how the money and the phone got missed until the following morning when the police came to arrested us.”
Another suspect, Daniel Ajayi, who rides a tricycle, denied the allegations that, “we used the pistol to fight as means of self-defense, but not to rob; a friend (name withheld) invited us to a party, and we decided to lodge in an hotel while coming back at night. We were about ten who were arrested in the hotel, but only just four of us were taken to the police station, while others regained their freedom on the way.
However, the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, while addressing journalists at the command, said that several arrests were made on armed robbery and kidnapping cases other various crimes in February and that about 20 out of the 25 distress calls received within the period, were successfully recorded as follow: 24-armed robbery suspects, 19 suspected kidnappers and eighth cultists were arrested.
He said however that, one of the armed robbery suspects died, following a shoot-out with the police, 18 different firearms, 26 rounds of life ammunition and 22 different exotic cars were recovered from the suspects.
Owoseni, while giving the details of the arrest said that 24 suspected kidnappers had stormed Adebayo market at Bariga to abduct some private guards during which 14 were arrested.
He said, “A distress call was received on the incident and the policemen swung into action, two of the private guards, who had been kidnapped and taken to Ososa, (Ogun State), were rescued and 14 of the suspects were arrested.
However, the CP said,” Investigation is ongoing to ensure the arrest of other members of the gang.”
Meanwhile, in yet another development, the command responded to a distress call reporting theft of a Toyota Highlander along Lagos\Ibadan Express with a female occupant during which three suspects were arrested and the occupant rescued.
He added that, eleven suspects, who specialized in petrol tanker hijack on Lagos/Ibadan routes, were also arrested, saying, all exhibits recovered from the suspects had been transferred to Oyo State where the crime was committed.
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