The Police Command in Lagos State has detained three suspected armed robbers linked to an alleged robbery operations involving five vehicles and valuables worth about N50 million.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing newsmen at the command headquarters in Ikeja.
Tijani said that the suspects were also linked to the robbery of a notable traditional ruler.
He said operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on actionable intelligence, traced and arrested the three suspects, aged between 26 and 31, at different locations in Lagos.
He said preliminary investigation linked the suspects to alleged robbery operations carried out on Aug. 23 and Sept. 30 along the Ife Expressway in Osun.
According to him, about five vehicles were snatched during the operations, while valuables estimated at about N50 million were allegedly carted away.
The CP said the suspects were also linked to the robbery of a notable traditional ruler in Ondo State.
He said one Toyota van with registration number BDJ 180 AJ, registered in Oyo State, was recovered from the suspects.
Tijani also said the suspects had made confessional statements and were assisting the police in recovering other stolen vehicles, apprehending other members of the gang and recovering the weapons allegedly used during the operations.
He further said investigation was ongoing to establish the full extent of the suspects’ involvement and recover additional weapons.
One of the suspects, a 32-year-old ex-convict, said during interrogation that they stole a bag containing money belonging to the king after spotting his vehicle parked by the roadside.
The suspect said a member of the gang took him to the location and they encountered the traditional ruler’s vehicle while returning from an earlier operation.
According to him, the gang member allegedly took the king’s bag and placed it in their vehicle before they continued their journey to Lagos.
He said he was later dropped off in Lagos and was unaware that the bag was in the vehicle until the police informed him.
”I did not know that such a thing was inside the motor. It was when the police told me that I discovered that the king’s money was inside,” he said.
The suspect said that they were tracked and he was arrested.
He said he joined the gang because he needed money to start a business, adding that he previously sold machine spare parts.
The suspect, who said he had previously spent time in prison, expressed regret over his involvement and pledged not to engage in robbery again.
”I will not try this thing again in my life. I just did it because I was looking for a little money to start a business,” he said.
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