Five local
guards have been arrested at Egbeda and Isheri Osun areas of Lagos State for
allegedly being in possession of firearms.
They were
arrested following an order by the newly appointed police boss in the state,
Edgal Imohimi, who directed for an immediate clampdown on all armed guards in
the metropolis.
It was
gathered that the move was to retrieve all illegally acquired arms in the hands
of vigilance group members in the state. It was also gathered that some members
of the vigilance groups were allegedly involved in robbery, ritual killings and
kidnapping in the state.
One
automatic single barrel gun, four locally-made double barrel rifles, 22 live
ammunition and two expanded cartridges were allegedly recovered from the group.
Imohimi
Edgal, while addressing newsmen during his maiden press briefing held yesterday
at the Command Officers Mess, Ikeja, labeled the suspects as notorious armed
robbers who have been terrorizing members of the public in recent times.
He said that
the five notorious suspects were arrested based on an intelligence report from
members of the public on the criminal activities of the gang. He named those
arrested as Ojo Ayodele, 50; Rasheed Adekunle, 61; Musibau Gbadamosi, 60;
Ayomide Ibile, 32; and Kehinde Jimoh, 42.
“On
September 6, 2017, based on information received on the criminal activities of
the gang, detectives from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), led by an
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) moved to Egbeda around 3:00a.m. During
the raid, five suspects were arrested with the recovered weapons.
But in a
swift reaction, those arrested said the rifles found on them were given to them
by the chairman of their landlord association in Egbeda.
One of the
suspects, who identified himself as Ayodele Ojo, said they were shocked when
they were raided by the policemen, who according him, have been working hand in
hand with the force.
He said: “I
am a member of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC). Rasheed Adekunke and myself
were contracted by the Landlord Association as guards when crime in the area
was on the increase.
“They were
the ones who bought the rifles for us and it was licensed. I am not an armed
robber like they claimed but guards working to eke out a living for my family.”
Kehinde Jimoh,
another guard arrested with one rifle said he was employed by the management of
a petrol station at Ikotun.
“I was on
duty at Fidelity Filling Station Ikotun when around one Bamidele who also work
as guard in another petrol station jumped into our compound. I tried to find
out what he wanted. He said that he wanted to buy petrol. I told him that the
station was not open and that he should come back around 6a.m. He insisted and
I refused. But while the discussion was still on another persons jumped into the
premises. Initially, I thought he was a thief. He asked me where I kept my gun
and before I knew what was happening, he grabbed hold of me. It was later that
I got to know that he was a policeman.”
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