12th February, 2018
Paul Iyoghojie
Operatives of the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad, FSARS on Lagos Island, Lagos have arrested three of the four suspected robbers who allegedly ambushed them and fired gunshots at their patrol van on Lagos-Badagry Expressway while on a mission to foil a robbery attack at a warehouse in the area.
The leader of the gang, identified simply as Chibuzor is said to be at large.
A Police source said that in the ensuing gun battle, a member of the police team,
Corporal Adebesin Sulaimon sustained gunshot wounds on his head and was quickly rushed to the hospital by his colleagues.
Police identified the arrested suspects as Emmanuel Alahor, 22; Adewale Jamiu, 32 and Friday Nnachi, 25.
Police said they recovered five masks from the suspects.
According to the police, the incident occurred on 12 December, 2017 at Bayuf bus stop on Lagos-Badagry Expressway when the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP in charge of FSARS , Mr Ibrahim Kaojie received a tip-off that some robbery suspects had perfected plans to rob a warehouse in the area.
Following the report, Kaoje dispatched a team led by CSP Oluseye Odunbaku to the area to foil the robbery and arrest the suspects, but unknown to them that the suspects had sighted them and laid an ambush for them.
A Police source alleged that the suspects opened fire on the Police team as they approached the warehouse and escaped.
The source said that following the unfortunate incident, the FSARS operatives declared manhunt for the suspects and that after days of intelligence gathering, they swooped on the suspects at their hideout at Alaba Rago area on Lagos-Badagry Exprwssway and arrested three suspects while their leader Chibuzor managed to escaped with gun shot wounds.
During investigation, according to the police, all the suspects allegedly confessed to the crime and said that their leader,Chibuzor fired the gunshots on the patrol team.
After investigation, the suspects were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court, Lagos on a five-count charge of felony to wit, robbery and attempted murder.
Police counsel, Abraham Fadipe said the offences the accused persons committed were punishable under sections 299, 297, 21, 411 and 19 of the Criminal laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the crime and their counsel, U.I Izuagie urged the court to admit the defendants on bail in most liberal terms with a promise that they would not jump bail if granted and Magistrate A.A Famoyibo granted them bail in the sum of N300,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Famoyibo adjourned the case till 27 February, 2018 for mention and ordered that the defendants be kept at the Ikoyi Prison, Lagos till they fulfilled their bail conditions.