Police Smash Bank Robbery Syndicate

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The police in Lagos have smashed a bank robbery syndicate that had been terrorizing Alaba Market and its environs in Ojo Local government area of Lagos.

Seven suspects were arrested including one Olalekan Ayoola who specialised in hacking into bank accounts using victims’ ATM cards, Sim cards, voters’ cards and driver’s licences. Other suspects were Ayobami Ibrahim a.k.a Label Money, 21, Mufutau Ibrahim a.k.a  Shakushaku, 25, Ogundiran Adeniyi, a.k.a MM Papa, 24, Emmanuel Chukwu a.k.a Makabelly, 25, Dare Oyetola a.k.a Paper and Sodiq Olalere. The suspects were arrested at various locations and their arms and ammunition were recovered.

This was confirmed by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, and the suspects were paraded with other suspected criminals at the Police Command, Lagos.
The police boss said that on 7th October, 2018, the police received credible information that some armed men were sighted making unauthorized withdrawals at about midnight at Stanbic Bank branch at Alaba using the ATM machine and cards suspected to have been stolen from members of the public.
He said that based on the information, the police operatives from Ojo Division and FSARS Ikeja were mobilized to the scene where they arrested two of the robbers while the other gang members escaped.

CP Edgal said that when they were searched, stolen Diamond Bank and UBA Bank ATM cards including Nokia mobile phones were recovered from the suspects.
During interrogation, they confessed that they belonged to an armed robbery gang known as Blue Water Boys and they had been terrorising the area for some time. They mentioned Ojo, Agric, Okokomaiko, Ajangbadi, Ijaniki, Iba and its environs as areas they operated in and controlled before their arrest.
The suspects further confessed that they robbed the owner of a restaurant at Araromi Street in Iba area and in the process dispossessed the victim of her phone and ATM cards.

Edgal said that the confession of Ayoola led to the arrest of the other gang members in various areas.
The police alleged that exhibits recovered from them included: four cut to size single barrel locally made gun, 13 unexpended live cartridges and expended cartridge, three laptop computers, phones of various makes and ATM cards.
The CP said that the suspects were detained at the Command and will be charged to court.