24th January, 2011
Operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Adeniji Adele Street, Lagos Island, have arrested three young Nigerien members of a gang of five that specialises in attacking filling stations, bureau de change and business centres in Lagos State.
Those arrested were identified as Salele Adamu, Idris Mukaila and Usman Mohammed. The police identified their ring leaders who are currently at large as Yahaya and Haruna.
They were alleged to have attacked Muyab filling station at Ajegule area of Alakuko, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on 4 January, 2011 with sledge hammers, iron rods, chisels and pliers but they did not succeed in breaking into the station’s strong room.
They were arrested at Costain Roundabout, Iganmu, Surulere where they parked the Honda car they used for the unsuccessful operation. Their leader, Haruna, escaped on sighting operatives of FSARS.
Items recovered from them included five sledge hammers, iron rods, chisels, saw blades, pliers and a Nokia handset they stole at the filling station.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime, but claimed they were deceived by their kinsman, Haruna.
One of the suspects, Salele Adamu, described how they were recruited by Haruna: “We are from Koni area of Niger Republic and we carry loads at Balogun and Idumota markets on Lagos Island.
“Haruna came to us on the night of the incident with his Honda accord and told us to follow him to load goods into a trailer. We agreed and followed him because we are from the same country.
“On our way, he changed the story and told us that we are going for an operation that will fetch us a huge sum of money to enable us travel back to our country.
”When we got to the filling station, he brought out sledge hammers, iron rods, saw blades and took us to the strong room of the filling station. He told us to bring out all the money inside and he went back to the car.
“After a furtile attempt to break into the strong room, Haruna became annoyed and called us to enter the car and we left. We only succeeded in stealing the Nokia handset inside one of the vehicles parked within the premises of the filling station.
“We have never robbed before and we don’t know the Gahaya, Haruna claimed gave him a tip off that money was kept inside the filling station.
“If we are released today, we will travel back to our country to inform our kinsmen what Haruna did to us.”
The suspects are currently being detained at the FCID while detectives continue the hunt for the ring leaders.
