A robbery suspect, Ahmed Rewanu, akaAlagbara, has said the police arrested him with charm because he was caught unawares which made it difficult for him to escape.
The 27-year-old was among four suspects arrested by the Rader Squad of the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspects ─ Rewanu, Rahmon Alao, Mufu Akanni, akaOlosa Oko and Lukman Suleiman, akaStubborn ─ were among the suspected robbers wreaking havoc in the Orile Iganmu area of Lagos State.
They were said to have been raided at a hotel in the Orile area by the police team, which was led by the Deputy Commander of the Anti-Robbery Squad.
Rewanu explained that his group always used the opportunity of street fights to rob residents, adding that three members of the gang had guns.
He said, “The police used charm to arrest me. I was caught unawares.
“Anytime there was a fight at Amukoko, Alaba and Orile Iganmu, I always joined in the fight with other boys. We are about 10 in number, but only three of us have guns.
“After each fight, we always went to a hotel where we shared our loots. I have collected up to six phones, which I sold to our leader at the rate of N3, 000 each. Our leader bought all the items we stole from us and resold them.”
The Kwara State indigene said the gang leader was still at large, and might not be arrested anytime soon.
Alao, 22, however, said the gang used sticks with nails to rob residents and passersby.
“We do not carry guns; we only use sticks with nails. When we are fighting, we rob innocent people on the road and collect their phones. I have only stolen two phones,” he said.
The other two suspects also confessed to be members of the group, but denied using guns to rob residents of the state.
A police source said the police were on the trail of other members of the group.
He said, “There are many of them causing troubles in the area and we have been looking for them.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Patricia Amadin, said she would call our correspondent back on the matter, but she had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.