26th October, 2022
Paul Iyoghojie
Three suspects who allegedly confessed to the Police that they had been stealing cars from owners and robbing motorists of phones and other belongings with gun and jackknife for a long time along Airport Road, Ikeja, Lagos Southwest, Nigeria has been smashed.
The feat, according to the Police, was made possible by the operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactical Team, SWAT of the Nigeria Police, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja Nigeria.
Police alleged that nemesis caught up with the suspects, Bala Yinusa and Adebimpe Yinka, who are both 29 years old, and Nasiru Adamu, 26, who claimed to be mechanics at Ikeja Railway line, Lagos on 15 August 2022 when they robbed one Balogun Folorunsho and another along the Airport Road of their Gulf 4 Volkswagen car with Reg. No KSF 750 HS; a Toyota Matrix, and a Techno Spark 4 Phone at gunpoint.
Police alleged that following the incident, the victims sent a distress call to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG in charge of Operations at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, Nigeria, DIG Johnson Kokumo who gave a marching order to his crack team led by Inspector Fidelis Omage to go after the fleeing suspects and recover the stolen cars from them.
The Police team swung into action and tracked the stolen car to the Dopemu area of Agege and arrested the suspects with the stolen cars while allegedly looking for a buyer for the cars.
During the investigation, according to the Police, the suspects allegedly confessed to the crime and said that they had been robbing motorists of their cars along Airport Road Ikeja, Lagos for a long time.
In his alleged confession to the Police, one of the suspects, Yinka who claimed to be an ex-convict stated: “We stole the two cars along the Airport Road, armed with Jackknife.
“Few days after I came back from Prison custody after serving a year plus in jail in August 2022, I joined my partners, Nasiru and others to rob two motorists of their cars along the Airport Road, Ikeja, Lagos with Jackknife while pretending to be mechanics which led to my arrest again.
“I was only given N60,000 as my share by Nasiru with the promise to give me more money which he failed to fulfil until we were arrested.
“We promised to stop robbery if we are set free”, Yinka allegedly stated.
After the investigation of the case in Abuja, Police transferred the case to SWAT Command in Lagos headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Steven Ogedengbe for the suspects to be charged in Court.
The trio were charged before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing.
Police Counsel, Abraham Fadipe told the Court in the charge marked B/31/2022 that the defendants committed the offence on 15 August 2022 at Ikeja, Lagos.
Fadipe informed the Court that the defendants who claimed to be mechanics along the railway line at Ikeja, Lagos robbed two motorists of their Gulf 4 Volkswagen and a Toyota Matrix Cars along the Airport Road and Fela Shrine, Ikeja, Lagos before they were tracked and arrested at Agege area of Lagos while looking for a buyer for the stolen cars.
Fadipe said the offences, the defendants committed were punishable under sessions 411 and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
While the second defendant, Yinka pleaded guilty to the charges, the two others pleaded not guilty and Magistrate B. A. Sonuga granted them N500,000 bail each with two sureties each in like sum.
Sonuga sentenced Adebimpe Yinka who pleaded guilty to the charges to four years imprisonment without an option of fine and adjourned the case of the two others to 15 November 2022 for mention.