Barely two months after special anti-robbery operatives attached to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, recovered rocket launchers and other sophisticated weapons used by armed robbers to terrorise residents in the state, the operatives have again made a major breakthrough in the fight against armed robbery in the state.
This followed the arrest of six notorious armed robbers recently alleged to have masterminded the September 9, 2012 Sunday roberries in the state where policemen and civilians were shot dead and millions of naira and foreign currencies carted away in one of the daring robbery operations in the state.
The suspects paraded on Tuesday by the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, are Emmanuel Tochukwu,31, said to be the sponsor of the gang; Nonso Ndubisi, 26; Akindele Akinyemi, also known as AK, 30; Emmanuel Ehianeta, alias Arab, 27; Segun Runsewe, 39; and Isiaka Lawal, 55.
Manko disclosed that SARs operatives employed the use of the Close Circuit Television footage of First Bank of Nigeria Plc at Share in Kwara State, obtained from the Kwara State Police Command to track the robbers.
“Our operatives, led by the Officer-in-Charge of SARs, SP Abba Kyari, carried out a careful analysis of the footage and one Akindele Akinyemi, who was on the list of most wanted armed robbers in Lagos State Police Command, was identified,” Manko said.
The police boss added that the SARS operatives lured Akindele from his base in Cotonu, Benin Republic and he and three other members of his gang were arrested in Lagos.
Manko added that the police recovered sophisticated arms and ammunition from the gang.
Arms and ammunition recovered included 12 AK-47 riffles, one general purpose machine gun, 111 AK-47 rifle magazines, 5,922 rounds of 7.62MM live AK-47 riffle ammunition.
Others included four GPMG Chain bullet with 400 rounds of live ammunition loaded, 219 unloaded live ammunition and 180 .9MM live ammunition.
The suspected armed robbers were said to be members of a bigger gang led by one Uche Okeagbu, who was arrested in September.
Other members of the gang, according to the police boss, merged but were killed during a shootout with policemen.
In that incident, the police were said to have recovered two pump action guns, two pistols, 59 AK-47 magazines, one .9mm and one live cartridge.
Following confessional statements made by Akindele and Emmanuel, the SARs operatives trailed Tochukwu to his hotel room in Delta State and with diligent manhunt, he was arrested in his room at the Sea Park Hotel in Asaba, Delta state.
The police stated that investigation revealed that Tochukwu is the arms supplier for the gang and other criminals who had operated in Ekiti, Delta, Kwara, Oyo, Osun and Lagos States.
The police recovered Tochukwu’s Mercedez Benz 230 V-Boot car with reg. Enugu DA 307 ENU.
“After searching the car, two AK 47 rifles, 750 live ammunitions and 14 AK-47 rifle magazines were concealed in a specially constructed compartment under the seat of the car,” Manko said.
In his statement to the police, Tochukwu said he smuggled the ammunition in sacks of onion from Benin Republic.
He also mentioned one Alhaji as his major supplier of weapons in Benin.
Tochukwu also led the police to arrest Nonso in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Manko urged residents to be vigilant and report all suspicious movements and persons to the police.
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