by Adeola Balogun

 

An 7 member robbery gang apprehended by the Lagos State Police Force and paraded yesterday had as one of its members a 3-month pregnant mother of 2.

Taiwo Obafunsho, 28, said that she was a fish seller before starting her time with the gang and that she had only gone on three operations with them.

The gang is suspected of causing the deaths of two policemen during a robbery operation in the Iju-Ishaga area of the state.

PM News reports:

Obafunsho said she did not participate in the operation that resulted in the death of of Lagos in October.

She, however, declined to speak further on her exploits and how much she made from the three operations she participated in.

Her gang members who attacked policemen at Iju-Ishaga also confessed to how they fired at the policemen, killed one of them, injured three and snatched two AK-47 rifles from the cops.

One of the gang members, Wasiu Rafiu, 23, said that it was their gang leader, Ife, that fired at the policemen in order to collect their rifles.

According to Rafiu, “I was inside the car, watching through the side mirror, when Ife and other members came down and opened fire at the policemen. After a few minutes, they came back with the two police rifles. I did not know that the policemen died. It was later one of them told me that the policeman died and some of them were wounded.”

Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command led by Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police, SP, smashed the gang on Sunday.

During the operation, Kyari arrested seven of the robbery suspects, while one identified as Taiye Agege died during a gun battle with the SARS team.

Other suspects arrested are 29-year old Ife Olubaba, said to be the gang leader, Saheed Wasiu 23, Segun Idowu, 20, Odelade Kabiru, 26 and Waliu Sonni, 29.

Recovered from the robbers were two AK-47 rifles, one automatic pump action gun, four locally made pistols, two AK-47 fully loaded magazines, 135 live cartridges and a Hyundai Tucson SUV with registration number MUS 350 BG..

The suspects were paraded by the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Umar Manko.

Manko said that the arrest of the suspects was a follow up to the attack on policemen attached to Iju Police Station on 9 October, 2013 by the robbery gang.