How 15-man armed robbery gang terrorising Ogun met its waterloo
By Saka Gbeminiyi
FOUR members of an armed robbery gang were recently killed by the men of the Ogun State Police
Command during a gun battle with the police.
The suspects were Chima Richard, Bolaji Tajudeen, Wale Folorunsho and Taye Lawal. The four met their death when they confronted the men of Ogun State Anti-Robery Squad.
Sunday Tribune gathered that the 15-man armed robbery gang which has been terrorising Ogun
State and other states for some years, specialised in stealing of vehicles and dispossessing people of their valuables.
The robbers met their waterloo when they stormed Ijebu-Ode and other adjourning towns to wreak havoc.
Sunday Tribune learnt that the gang, however, met a superior fire power of the police which confronted them headlong.
It was gathered that the 15-man gang had always split its members into two or three groups during operations inorder to cover more grounds and make it difficult for the police to apprehend them.
“One feature of the gang is that whenever they were operating, the gang always split its members into two or three groups, and this always made it difficult for the police to understand how to face them. About two or three groups would then be operating at the same time. But this time around, we confronted them having understood their mode of operation. We confronted them with our superior fire power”
On how the police was able to subdue the gang, a source at the command said, “We have experienced police officers in the command. When the robbers came on that fateful day, we knew quite well that it was the same gang because immediately they came, they divided themselves into groups and started operation.We mobilised our men and went after them.”
Sunday Tribune learnt that the armed gang had already attacked a mobile phone shop located in the town. They carted away assorted handsets, recharge cards and money. Apart from the mobile phone shops, motorists were not spared as the robbers harassed and dispossessed them of their vehicles during the operations.
Besides raiding shops, the gang also snatched about seven vehicles from motorists plying the routes on that day.
Sunday Tribune learnt that the police at the Obalende Police Division in Ijebu-Ode swung into action when they heard sounds of gunshots fired by the robbers in their bid to escape.
“You see the armed gang met their waterloo when in their bid to escape from the scene tried to snatch a car from a motorist. The gang shot into the air inorder to scare people away. It was these gunshots that attracted the attention of the police and they pursued the robbers,” source said.
Corroborating the source, the Ogun State Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bassey Inyang said that the robbers were about to escape when the police arrested them.
At a junction in Ijebu-Ode, two cars, one Toyota car and one Kia product were seen heading towards Ibadan and our findings revealed that a young lady was kidnapped and kept inside the Toyota, hence the police gave them a hot chase and the bandit opened fire immediately they saw the police vehicle.
However, when the bandit realised that they could not withstand the fire power of the police, they abandoned the car and jumped into the bush. And the police also pursued them into the bush.
“We gave them a hot chase and when they saw that the game was up, they alighted from the car and entered the bush, leaving their captive (a young lady) in the car. The police also went after them and the bush was thoroughly combed and four members of the gang were brought out. We discovered that they were hit by police bullets. They confessed that they belong to the 15-man gang. Their confession also led to the recovery of a Kombi bus,” the Ogun State police spokesperson, Mr. Femi Awoyale explained.
It was gathered that some items like, Indian hemp, N22,000 and a black lady’s bag were found on them. Mr. Awoyale warned hoodlums to stay clear of Ogun State and its environs as the state police command was always ready to meet force with force with the robbers in the state.
