The operatives of the Lagos State Task Force arrested a notorious ‘Awawaa Boys’ deadly leader, Tobi Akinbayo, a.k.a Scorpion, and two others – Muyideen Olayinka and Ibrahim Olaniran – at Aluminium Village, Dopemu, Agege area of Lagos State.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, while parading the three suspects on Wednesday, said the activities of the notorious “Awawaa Boys” has been given his Agency and other security agencies sleepless nights.
Egbeyemi stated further that reported cases of rape, armed robbery and killing of innocent citizens by the Awawaa Boys had become worrisome.
Egbeyemi disclosed that the Agency received lots of petitions about activities of Awawaa Boys and that he directed the Surveillance Unit of the Agency to closely monitor their activities in different parts of the State.
He said this greatly assisted in their arrest around Aluminium Village, Dopemu in Agege.
He confirmed that other terrorising groups leaders who were at large includes one Paul, a.k.a. Bouncing, the leader of ‘Nokia Group’; and Habeeb, a.k.a. Oluwa, of ‘Shita Boys’, who have killed, raped and robbed innocent citizens of their valuable properties around Aluminium Village, Dopemu, Agege.
Egbeyemi disclosed further that he had widened the scope of the Surveillance Unit of the Agency to cover other parts of the State where these notorious boys are terrorising innocent members of the public.
He said all those arrested would be charged to court.
He appealed to members of the public to be vigilant about their immediate environment and to always report activities of any terrorising group to the Lagos State Task Force.
Akinbayo, who lives at 10, Salako Street, Alluminium Village, Dopemu, confessed that he and his boys raped, burgled and killed innocent citizens who confronted them during any of their operations around Dopemu area.
He said: “We sell Indian helm to commercial bus drivers and area boys around Dopemu and its environs.”
He confessed further that they forcefully raped one Rufia Ogunbowale, the daughter of Taiwo Iyabo, who lives at 26, Bello Street, Dopemu, Agege on May 5, 2016 at about 12noon.
Akinbayo, 28, is a native of Kuta-Ilegbo town, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
He said Awawaa Boys is one umbrella and that they only have branches in different parts of the State and that he is the leader of the group that controls Dopemu and its environs.
The President of the Aluminium and Accessories Association, Aluminium Village, Dopemu Branch, Biliaminu Oladimeji, disclosed that he and his members, including residents around the area, had lost several millions of Naira to activities of the Awawaa Boys and other dangerous groups around the area.
Oladimeji and his other executive members, while thanking Egbeyemi, confessed that they were very happy since the arrest were made and that other terrorising group members who have always been threatening them had vacated the area for fear of being arrested by the Lagos State Task Force.
He said different terrorising group leaders and their boys charge them between N1,000 per to N2,000 per day as security levy and that any of their members who refuses to pay would have his stall or shop burgled over night.
Oladimeji said the boys burgle not less than 10 to 15 shops on monthly basis and that all reported cases to the nearest Nigerian Police Station at Dopemu did not deter them as none of them could be arrested by the Police for fear of being attacked.
Ejike Okoronto, one of the aluminium traders at 4, Bello Ajare Street, Dopemu, Agege, disclosed that same Awawaa Boys invaded his shop on March 23, 2016 and carted away aluminium accessories worth N3 million over night.
Another trader, Bunmi Adeoye, said the Awawaa Boys had used cutlass to cut one of her fingers when she resisted them from forcefully entering her shop for illegal security levies being charged without any government backing.
Meanwhile, Ogunbowale, 12, who was raped, said Akinbayo jumped through the fence to enter their room on that fateful day while her mother went to the market and tied her mouth with the scarf on her head and raped her.
She said her mother, who could not do anything because of fear of being attacked, quickly took her to Abeokuta, where she was treated and that since then she has been living in Abeokuta at her late father’s house.
According to Ogunbowale, who was raped: “Tobi threatened to kill my mother if she dares report them to any security agency, including the Nigerian Police.”
Taiwo Iyabo, 46, of 26, Bello Street, Dopemu, Agege, the mother of the raped girl, confessed: “Truly they raped my daughter but as they threatened to kill me and other children if I should report to the Police, I quickly took her to her late father’s house at Abeokuta for local treatment and since then she has been staying there for the safety of her life.”
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