The Lagos State Police Command has arrested the last five members of the armed robbery gang that twice daringly stormed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos State, killing two policemen and making away with millions of naira belonging to operators of Bureau De Change.
The gang members, who were paraded before journalists on Monday by the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, were identified as Samuel Maiyegun, popularly known as Asiwaju, a graduate of Building and Quantity Surveying from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State; Abiosun Adegeye; Ezekiel Anthony; Ibraheem Sado; and Femi Osiyelu
According to the police, the gang on February 1 and March 13, 2013 invaded the MMIA, carting away local and foreign currencies estimated to be over N100 million.
Manko disclosed that the suspects were arrested after a tip-off from “a reliable source.”
It was gathered that Maiyegun and other gang members over the weekend were arrested in Ikorodu area of the state, while planning another robbery operation.
Manko said: “On that fateful day, we received a tip off at about 2am that the notorious armed robber had left his hideout in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State for Ikorodu where they were planning a big operation the next day.
“We recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun, one Ak47 rifle with serial number 533124, two double barrel locally made pistols, 10 GPMG and eight AK47 magazines fully loaded respectively and 32 live cartridges.”
Manko added: “During interrogation, Mayegun confessed to the robberies at the airport where a Bureau De Change was robbed and money running into millions were carted away and he admitted to getting N45 million as his share.
“He had recruited other gang members to continue his nefarious acts as because he thought the police have forgotten him being the only member of the airport robbery gang that eluded arrest.”
Maiyegun was also said to have confessed to have participated in several robbery operations in Lagos and other states, including a deadly bank robbery in Kwara State.
Maiyegun told journalists that he was planning for another robbery operation to make enough money so as to leave armed robbery for good, when he was arrested.
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