The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspected armed robbers allegedly linked to a series of robbery operations involving five vehicles and valuables estimated at about N50 million.
The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Ikeja.
Tijani said the suspects were also allegedly involved in the robbery of a notable traditional ruler.
According to the CP, operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on actionable intelligence, tracked down and arrested the three suspects, aged between 26 and 31, at different locations in Lagos.
He said preliminary investigations linked them to robbery operations allegedly carried out on August 23 and September 30 along the Ife Expressway in Osun State.
Tijani said about five vehicles were reportedly snatched during the operations, while valuables estimated at N50 million were allegedly taken.
He added that the suspects were also linked to the robbery of a notable traditional ruler in Ondo State.
One Toyota van with registration number BDJ 180 AJ, registered in Oyo State, was recovered from the suspects, according to the commissioner.
Tijani said the suspects had made confessional statements and were assisting the police in efforts to recover other stolen vehicles, arrest additional members of the gang and retrieve the weapons allegedly used during the operations.
He added that investigation was ongoing to determine the full extent of the suspects’ involvement and recover more weapons.
During interrogation, one of the suspects, a 32-year-old ex-convict, said the gang stole a bag containing money belonging to the traditional ruler after they noticed his vehicle parked by the roadside.
The suspect said a member of the gang took him to the location, where they encountered the traditional ruler’s vehicle while returning from an earlier operation.
He alleged that the gang member took the king’s bag, placed it in their vehicle and continued the journey to Lagos.
The suspect said he was later dropped off in Lagos and claimed he did not know the bag was inside the vehicle until the police informed him.
“I did not know that such a thing was inside the motor. It was when the police told me that I discovered that the king’s money was inside,” he said.
He said the gang was eventually tracked by the police, leading to his arrest.
The suspect said he joined the gang because he needed money to start a business, adding that he had previously been involved in the sale of machine spare parts.
He also said he had previously spent time in prison, expressed regret over his involvement in the robbery and pledged not to return to crime.
“I will not try this thing again in my life. I just did it because I was looking for a little money to start a business,” he said.
Police arrest three over alleged N50m robbery operations in Lagos