Police nab suspected bank robbers in Lagos
Police have arrested one Olatunde Adetunji, an alleged member of a notorious armed robbery gang that specializes in robbing bank customers within Ikeja and Isolo areas of Lagos State.
One Basirat Akinmushire aka ‘Area Mama’, a 54-year-old woman, was also apprehended in connection with the gang’s activities.
Olatunde, 31, was caught after his gang attacked and robbed a woman on her way to the bank at Opebi area of Ikeja.
The victim had seen him on Toyin Street, Ikeja, and quickly raised alarm.
Olatunde told the police that Basirat collected N5,000 sum whenever the gang go to her to collect guns.
He said, “I am a member of the Eiye confraternity and I joined while I was at the university in Ogun State, but when I dropped out, I came back home to join members of my cult group in Jakande Estate and I discovered that they had already procured an AK-47 rifle and a revolver pistol.
“They told me that they bought the guns from a soldier and they usually kept them at Area Mama’s shop, who is also a member of our cult group. She usually hides the gun at the back of her shop where she sells pepper and tomatoes. She would cover the bag of the guns with basket and sacks.
“We have used guns on several operations and we use to give her N5000 after every operation, but the main job we do with the guns is to fight our opponent who are rival cult members.”
Basirat, in her statement, claimed Olatunde and ‘Jungle’ forced her to keep the guns for the group.
“I took an oath when I joined the group but I didn’t know that they will assign the duty of keeping their guns to me,” she said.
”I tried to protest against keeping the gun for them but they threatened to kill me. Because of the oath we took together, I could not tell anyone that I was keeping guns for the group. They use to come for it whenever they had an operation but I don’t know what they use to do with the guns and after each operation they will give me N5,000.
“However, few months ago, Jungle came and collected the guns and he is yet to return it to me. I have tried taking the police to his house but we didn’t find him in the house.”
Basirat further claimed that the guns were no longer in her possession as she had given them to Jungle, a senior member of the gang.
She was said to have taken to a wrong location instead of Jungle’s house, and sustained injuries as she ran into a ditch while trying to escape.
She was eventually taken to the hospital.
