Police parade suspected car snatchers, rapists

Lagos State Police command yesterday paraded dozens of suspected armed robbers, rapists, car snatchers and other criminals at the police headquarters in GRA, Ikeja.

The state police boss, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the suspects, lauded members of the public for their improved trust and confidence in furnishing the police with information that led to crime busting at different areas of the metropolis.

According to Owoseni, one Kingsley Okeke was arrested for defiling a 10-year-old girl on May 23. In another development, one Morif Mohammed of Dayo Philip Street, Ibeshe Ikorodu, allegedly defiled a seven-year-old girl at Ikorodu. The traumatized victims are being attended to at Mirabel Medical Centre, Ikeja.

Ten members of a car snatching syndicate namely Adeyemi Oluwasidi, Ladejobi Islaumon, Olufunmilayo Olowoago, Hammed Tijani, Idowu Samuel, Ayuba Saka, Omotayo Ayoola, Azeez Adeniyi, Yemi Olunlana, and Akintoye Olufemi were arrested for allegedly snatching vehicles at different locations.

Investigation led to the recovery of nine exotic vehicles from them, which included one Nissan Almera, Toyota Corrolla, two Peugeot 406, and four Toyota Camry. Two members of a robbery syndicate named Ismaila Fatai and Sunday Atiye, who specialize in attacking and robbing ATM users of cash, phones and other valuables along Lekki and Ajah axis were arrested. Their operational base is Angels Bar, in Ajah.

Two armed robbers named Richard Orji and Desmond Pedro who stabbed, raped and robbed their victim of assorted valuables were arrested while trying to dispose off their loot.

Similarly, the police arrested one Seye Olowofokunbu, a member of an Advanced Fee Fraud syndicate with operational base at Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State. The syndicate parades the streets of Lagos under the guise of herbal medicine dealers to defraud unsuspecting members of the public. In one of their escapades, the gang defrauded one Lekan Omisore of N4.5 million.

In another development, the police acting on information arrested one Morfu Idowu at Hotel Lawal, Lagos Island Command, for being in possession of 436,650 dollars suspected to be fake and sealed in native attires.

The items were to be delivered to one Akinsola Olu in Toronto, Canada through one Linda Ogihe and Mariam John, both based in Benin City, Edo State. Efforts are on to arrest the other members of the syndicate.