Nigerien, one other arrested over Idumota, Balogun shops break

A Niger Republic national, accused of being a member of a seven-man robbery gang that burgled shops in major markets on  Lagos Island, has been arrested by the police .

The suspect, Yakubu, was, on Saturday, arrested by operatives of the newly-structured Anti Kidnapping Unit of Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police.

The spokesperson of the zone, Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect to Lagos Metro, further disclosed  that another member of the gang, Isa Musa, was also  arrested.

The Zone 2 police spokesperson also said  the police recovered   more than 10 bags of stolen goods, which included underwear and other clothing items.

Adejobi told Lagos Metro that  police operatives, attached to the newly-re-structured Anti Kidnapping Unit of the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos,  arrested two members of a seven-man gang, who specialised in shop breaking at Idumota, Balogun and some other markets in Lagos State, on 25/08/2016 at about 03.45 in the morning,  immediately after their operations at Idumota/Balogun markets.

He added that ‘The arrest of two members of the gang was as a result of the swift response of the police operatives to a tip-off on the regular criminal acts (shop breaking) of the syndicate, which have  caused untold hardship and worries to the owners of some  affected shops in the markets”.

Adejobi also said the 21- year- old Yakubu and Issa, 48 and a father of five, from Borno State, Nigeria, of no  fixed addresses, had been in this dirty ‘business’  for years before their arrest at Obalende.

The duo, according to Adejobi , were arrested while waiting for the arrival of  receivers of their stolen wears, which included undies.

“More than 10 bags of undies and wears worth millions of naira and one unregistered Toyota Corolla, which is their operational vehicle,  were recovered from them,” the police spokesperson also said.

He continued:  “Due to thorough search conducted on their operational car, two cultlasses, two chisels and one heavy cutter were recovered at the bonnet of the car where they were concealed after their operation.”

Adejobi also stated that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 command, AIG Abdulmajid Ali, had directed the Officer-In-Charge of anti kidnapping unit of the zone to effect the arrest of other fleeing members of the gang and their receivers to allow for proper investigation and prosecution of the case.

While vowing to  cripple the activities of criminals, hoodlums, cultists and land grabbers, making lives unbearable for people in his zonal command,  Ali also assured the people of Lagos and Ogun  states of adequate security and unalloyed maintenance of law and order.