Detectives attached to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Adeniji Adele, Lagos State have launched a hunt for two fleeing suspects, after arresting four women for diversion of truckloads of baby wears, valued at millions of naira.
Arrested alongside the four women is a man.
But all five suspects have vehemently denied being part of the gang that used to divert trailers loaded with baby items.
One name, however, was constant amongst all the arrested suspects.
The name is Iyiola Afusat.
One of the suspects said she bought some cartons of baby items from Afusat.
Another revealed that Afusat kept some cartons filled with baby wears in his abandoned shop.
But the name that has any meaning and interest to detectives is Uche, whom most of the suspects claimed not to know.
Police detectives are working on the theory that Uche is the brain behind the gang and had been into the crime for long.
The gang apparently used to lay ambush for trailers loaded with baby wears along the Eko-Idumota Bridges.
Police said the gang used to attack and divert such trailers in the wee hours of the mornings and nights as the vehicles are heading to Lagos Island to offload their wares.
The suspects in police custody are Kuburat Ayinde, Fatimoh Abolakale, Alhaja Muyinat Ogattan, Yetunde Adekunle and Lekan Idris Buraimoh.
According to the police, on March, 1, 2013, undercover detectives trailed some members of the gang to the Ebute-Metta area of Lagos and arrested them.
Police claimed that the arrested suspects had allegedly confessed to working with Uche, whose other names are yet unknown.
Police investigation revealed that Uche is notorious in hijacking goods from unsuspecting traders and truck owners along the Carter and Eko Bridges of Lagos.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of FSARS, Chris Ezike, who spoke about the arrest of the suspects, said: “Items recovered from the syndicate include cartons of kiddies’ shoes, cartons of toys, cartons and bales of readymade clothes, cartons of school bags, cartons of slippers, ladies knitted tops, cartons of boots, female foot wears, sacks of children’s wears, cartons of towels, cartons of food flasks, glass cups, amongst others.”
Narrating how she was arrested, Ogattan said that Afusat was not a friend, but a trader, just like her.
They met on Lagos Island where they both sell.
According to her, she bought the items from Afusat, at a very cheap price, but it never crossed her mind that Afusat was robbing other traders.
She added: “Afusat called me at about 3pm some days ago.
“She said she wanted to know if I would buy some of her goods.
“I later went to meet Afusat.
“She gave me some of the goods, which I’ve already sold.
“I bought the goods for N500,000.
“Yes, I know that she used to sell her items cheaper than what is obtainable in the market.
“This is the first time I would be doing business with Afusat.
“It was after my arrest that police told me that Afusat diverted and stole some of the goods.
“I didn’t know they were stolen goods.
“But these recovered goods do not belong to me.
“They belong to Iyiola.”
Ogattan, who admitted to knowing the fleeing Uche, said it was long she saw Uche last.
She added: “It was Afusat who called me that Uche wanted to do a work.
“Uche and I had never worked before, but I knew him from breweries.
“I think he was a driver back then.”
Abolakale said that Ayinde came to call her to buy some lace materials and when she got to Ayinde’s shop, police swooped on her.
“I don’t know anything about stolen or diverted goods. What Kuburat told me was that she travels to Cotonou to buy her lace materials. She didn’t tell me that they were stolen goods,” said Abolakale.
Ayinde admitted to selling lace materials, stressing that none of her materials was stolen.
She was however the person who went with Iyiola to get an abandoned shop to keep the stolen items.
According to her, she was in her shop, on Herbert Macaulay Street on Lagos Island when policemen came to arrest her.
She however did not deny knowing the elusive Iyiola.
Ayinde explained: “These goods do not belong to me. They belong to Iyiola. She came to drop the goods there. Fatimoh is one of my customers who came to buy lace from my shop. I don’t know anything about Iyiola’s business.”
Buraimoh, the only male among the suspects, said: “I don’t know anything about these stolen items. But it was Kuburat who came to tell me that Iyiola wanted to use my abandoned shop for safekeeping of her goods. I was planning to renovate the shop. Kuburat told me that Iyiola was her customer. They both promised they would pay me for the use of the shop, but we never got round to agreeing on a particular amount.”
Adekunle like others, denied being part of any gang, insisting she also went to Ayinde’s shop to buy some lace materials before police picked her.
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