The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Dorothy Gimba, made this known on Tuesday, July 23 during a press briefing, giving their names as Adeoti Tosin(22), Idris Adeleye(28), Olufemi Kola(24),
Oladipupo Wale a.k.a. Stubborn(30), Olabode Waheed a.k.a. Esho(19), Sheriff Olaniyan a.k.a. Scorpion(25), Saheed (surname unknown), Abiodun Omoloye, Abiodun Lawal, Damilola Oladipo, Lateef Kazeem and Tope Adeyefa who was fingered as the receiver of stolen goods.
The principal suspect, one Sunday Ukpai, who is also alleged to be the custodian of the gang’s automatic pistol, is currently on the run. Olaniyan is said to be involved in another murder case in which he was alleged of shooting someone to death.
The police commissioner said that the gang went to the student’s residence at Ajigbona Estate, off Ede Road, Ile Ife to rob on June 18, at about 1p.m. In self defence, the student was said to have thrown a plastic chair at one of his assailants who gained entry into his room, but the robbery suspect allegedly responded by shooting. Though he missed his target the first time, he was said to have shot at the student the second time, hitting him on the right side of the chest, after which the gang made away with his valuables.
A team of police detectives attached to ‘A’ Division reportedly rushed the victim to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital for medical treatment. The police was said to have commenced investigation which led to the recent arrest of Sadiat Ojuade (20) a.k.a. Sharp Sharp, who was discovered to have the victim’s telephone number on her call log. The sim card had been taken away with a handset by the hoodlums during the invasion of their victim’s residence, so the police suspected that the lady must have a link with the robbery gang to have had the number on her log.
The police commissioner said the other suspects were arrested after discreet investigation by a team of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and they confessed to series of burglary and stealing, house breaking and stealing and armed robbery within Ife environs and the state.
Sadia, an Ipetumodu-born lady residing in Ile-Ife, however, said that her boyfriend used the number to call her, unknown to her that he went to rob somewhere and found a sim card with air time on it which he decided to use. “I saved the number, thinking that it belonged to him. The following day, I called the number, unknown to me that the owner had recalled his line, so my call went to him.
“I met my boyfriend, Tosin, about two months ago. He asked for a relationship with me. He told me he was a driver while I just finished secondary school and undergoing vocational training in hairdressing. I never knew he was an armed robber.”
The boyfriend, Tosin, from Ile Ife confessed to a member of the gang. “I joined the gang in May this year and my parents were warning me, but I did not yield to their warning. I have been with the gang on three robbery operations. We succeeded in two out of the three. Our leader is Sunday, an Igbo guy, and I met him at a hemp joint. He called me and my friend, Dammy. He found one more person and we went for an operation.
“I backed out on the way when I saw vigilance group members but they went ahead. When they came back, they gave me N3,000. At another operation, Sunday entered through the ceiling and robbed our victims while we waited outside. We were given N4,000 each. I was given N7,500 after the third operation. Sunday owned the gun we were using and he used to keep it. We used to dispose of other items such as phones and laptops individually.
“I got the line I used to call Sadia from Sunday. He went for an operation alone, so I went to meet him to give me money. He said he did not have. He dropped the line from the phone and warned me not to pick it. I picked it and used it to call my girlfriend. I threw it away thereafter. I never knew that she would use it to try me when she could not get me through to the line she knew me with. Sunday has travelled to his hometown. He said he was not satisfied with the little money we were making from our operations.”
tribune.com.ng
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