by Muyiwa Daropale

The Lagos State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has arrested a one-eyed armed robber simply known as Ayinde.

The man who has been on the Police ‘Wanted List’ for about three years was said to be a member of a notorious gang that has repeatedly attacked residents of Yaba, Oyingbo and Ebute-Meta areas of Lagos state.

Four locally made pistols were reportedly recovered from him.

Daily Trust reports;

A police source at the command headquarters at Ikeja told Daily Trust that the one eyed suspect and his gang do not only rob their victims, they also rape the women among them. 

“At times they rob from house to house, leaving trail of blood after raping some of their victims,” the source added.
In his statement, the one eyed robber alleged that he lost one of his eyes in a mob attack.

“It happened over four years ago at Oyingbo area of when I and three other members of my gang attempted to rob a woman who had come to buy something at the popular Oyingbo market. We succeeded in snatching the woman’s bag, but she raised alarm and people came after us with clubs. We took to our heels, running in different directions. I didn’t know that the route I took was a dead end. Before I could take a different route, the mob rushed at me, grabbing my cloth and dragging me down from the fence I wanted to scale. They came down heavily on me. Hours later when I regained consciousness, one of my eyes was filled with blood and I could not open it.
But it was still dark so I crawled away. That was how I escaped with one eye,” he said.
The police source said efforts are on to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.
All attempts to reach the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer Ngozi Braide for comment on the matter proved abortive as she was in a meeting at the command headquarters.