A robbery suspect, Olamide Kolawole, has told detectives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos Police Command, Ikeja that he got only N3,000 from a N16 million robbery operation his gang carried out at the Makoko area of the state.
Kolawole, 24, a shoe cobbler, seemed unperturbed by the sharing formula.
He revealed that the money was brought to him by his best friend, Rasaki, a commercial bike rider, who also allegedly dragged him into a robbery operation he said he never wanted to partake in.
Kolawole said: “The money was shared according to ‘lion share’ formula. It means that only the old members would get big shares. That operation was my first time with them. In fact, I didn’t even know they were going for a robbery operation on that day.”
Arrested along with Kolawole was Oladun Moyemi, 20, a professional barber.
Just like his partner-in-crime, Moyemi denied knowing that he was partaking in a robbery operation.
He said he was tricked into joining in the operation.
Surprisingly, the two of them gave two different versions of what transpired on the night of the robbery.
While Kolawole said they were an 11-man-gang that embarked on the operation and his share was given to him the following day, Moyemi said they were just seven men that went for the operation and the loot was shared that same day before they all went home.
Recalling how he was arrested, Kolawole said: “I was arrested through information given to the police. I was walking on the street, about to go and buy medicine, when the police arrested me.
“Rasaki is my best friend. It was through Rasaki that I got to know other members of the gang. We were 11 that went for that robbery. We went to rob at Makoko area. We went on a Sunday. We were returning from a club at Sabo called MP (Meeting Point). On the way home, they said they had a work they wanted to go and do. I didn’t know they were going to rob. They didn’t tell me anything!”
Kolawole said that as they moved, he noticed that the time was about 11pm.
The gang members hired different taxies after agreeing to meet at a particular venue at Makoko.
He said that the target building looked like a face-me-I-face-you sort of building, but the person they were after lived behind in the Boys’ quarters.
The building was not fenced.
“My work was just to stay outside and watch with other two persons,” he recalled. “We were watching for people. There was no light on that day. We were drinking the small Chelsea wine with us. They said a guy brought the job for them. They said the person had N16 million with him. When we reached the target building, they asked two of their members to stay with me outside, while others entered into the building. The following day, which was on Monday, Rasaki came and gave me N3,000 and a phone. It was Rasaki who brought my N3,000 share to me. They said the big money will go to those who had been with the gang for long. He also gave a Techno phone.”
Since his arrest, police have been searching frantically for Rasaki, but he had appeared to have vanished.
Kolawole added: “I have taken the police to Rasaki’s place at Ebute-Metta, but we didn’t see him. I believe he knew that I had been arrested and disappeared. But maybe if we go to his mother’s place, we may find him there. I didn’t know that Rasaki was a robber. I know him as a shoe cobbler.”
Moyemi narrated: “We’re not into robbery. We are known as rioters in our areas. We’re always involved in street fights with other youths from another street. There was a street jam on that day. We were seven that went for that robbery operation. We were not up to 11. Rasaki came with four of his friends. Then there were two of us – myself and Kolawole. The street jam was held at Olulu Street. As we were going home, we didn’t know that Rasaki and his other friends had another plan.
“When we reached the targeted house, Rasaki asked us to stay outside. Rasaki is our friend, but we call him Sobo. Rasaki and others later came out with bags and some other items. They didn’t follow the front of the building. They followed the back to enter to rob. He gave a phone, an Asha 202, and a sum of N6,000. It was on the same day that they shared the money and gave to us.
“I didn’t know they were going for robbery. It was as they were coming out with bags from the building that it dawned on me that they went to rob. The following morning, Rasaki and his four friends left for Ajah, where they live. Some days later, I heard that Olamide had been arrested. But I didn’t know what he was arrested for.”
Asked if there used to be killings during the streets fight, Moyemi said: “Yes! We used to kill each other during the street fights. Our gang had once killed a boy, while three people had been killed in our gang by our opponent.
“I don’t know what they normally fight for in such street fights. It’s true. Many of us don’t know the cause of the fights, and we were just dragged into it. When the older boys in the community send us on errands, the opponent knows and would begin to target us. Thus we would have no choice than to join. We use machetes to fight. But the older ones use guns. But many of them had been arrested now.”
Moyemi said he was ready to cooperate with the police in fishing out Rasaki and other fleeing members of the gang.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
