By OKOSUN OKHUELEIGBE
The operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos Police Command, early on Sunday arrested three ex–convicts for traffic robbery in Oshodi area of the state.
The robbery suspects, Adekunle Mustapha, (21), Popoola Olumide, (20) and Femi Amusa, (20), were arrested following a tip off from their victim, Olasunkanmi Oyelakin, who alerted the Police that his blackberry phone was stolen by the suspects during early morning traffic around Bolade, Oshodi.
The victim explained to the Police that he was on his way to Ajah at about 6:30 a.m. “I saw Adekunle Mustapha passed by the bus I boarded but didn’t know he was monitoring me. A few minutes later, I noticed a missed call on my phone, as I brought it out; Mustapha snatched the phone from me through the bus window and ran away. Because there was traffic, I made no attempt to struggle with him, but got down from the nearest bus-stop and I began to monitor him.
“I noticed that he had re-grouped with his gangs and one of them was telling him to hand over the phone he stole from me. I knew I couldn’t handle the three of them all alone, so I promptly informed the RRS operatives who followed me to the place where he was arrested”, Oyelakin explained.
Confirming the arrest, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Joe Offor said that the three suspects have been charged to court.
The visibly distraught Mustapha said that he was driven by frustration to steal the handset from him. “I am a bus conductor in Oshodi. I am from Ibadan and a secondary school dropout. I sleep in Ojuwoye, Mushin’, he said, trembling. I am an ex – convict. I don’t want to go to prison again. Government should please have mercy on me. I was frustrated into traffic robbery. I won’t do it again”, he pleaded.
Mustapha’s accomplices, Popoola Olawale and Femi Amusa said that although they saw Mustapha in Oshodi regularly, they are also bus conductors and not in-traffic robbers. They added that they were in Lagos to make money to buy their working tools having completed their apprenticeship.
In another development, it was learnt that RRS recovered a locally made gun with a cartridge in Surulere. The gun was said to have been recovered about 2:00 a.m. by RRS men on a regular patrol of Iganmu Bridge by Brewery, Surulere from three men who were standing in suspicious manner.
It was gathered that when the three men sighted the police, they took to their heels which led to a search to be conducted on where the men were standing, a locally made short gun was found with an unspent cartridge.
In the last few months, several arrested have been made by the police in Lagos of robbers attacking motorists and passengers while in traffic especially on the third Mainland Bridge, Oshodi, Mushin, Shomolu, Ajah, Mile 2 and Bariga area of the state.
According to the Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Owoseni on Thursday while giving a comparative analysis of crimes in the state said between September and October 2015, 18 persons have been arrested as traffic robbers in about 16 cases recorded within the same period.
However, a total of 70 robbers were arrested with 706 ammunition and 45 arms recovered from notorious criminals. It is expected with the resolve of the Lagos State government to inject 100 cars, BMW bikes and helicopters to support RRS logistics holdings, combating crime within the metropolis would improve significantly.