Traditional ruler's son nabbed for leading armed robbery gang

The son of a traditional ruler in Lagos State has been nabbed after it turned out that he was the leader of a gang of robbers.

The son of a traditional ruler in Ishawo communtiy in Ikorodu area of Lagos State, Oladimeji Orisan, has been arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery-Squad (SARS), of the state Police Command, for leading an armed robbery gang that have been terrorising the area, snatching motorcycles and money from riders at gunpoint.

According to the police, the 24-year-old Orisan is the leader of the four-man gang which has hideouts in the Ishawo and Ijede areas of Ikorodu.

The other suspected robbers who were arrested by SARS are Emmanuel Olutade, Lukman Tiamiyu and Wasiu Sikiru.

By the time of their arrest, the gang had successfully snatched more than 30 motorcycles and resold them since they began operations in March 2014.

It was learnt that the suspects who sometimes posed as passengers, lured commercial motorcyclists in the evening to secluded areas where other gang members were waiting. The bikes and other valuables would subsequently be snatched from the victims at gunpoint

The police said they recovered two pistols and 25 live cartridges from the gang.

Orisan, whose father is the Baale (traditional ruler) of th Ishawo town, while confessing to the crimes, said his father had warned him several times about his criminal activities but he had remained adamant. He claimed that he joined a cult group as a student of a technical college in Ogun State.

"As the second son, my father took good care of me but I dropped out of school in Junior Secondary School 2. I later attended a technical college but joined a cult while in school. I was going out with them to rob and that was where the idea of snatching and reselling motorcycles came.

I formed my own gang in 2014 when I came back from college. I bought the guns from my cult friends. I belonged to the Eiye confraternity. We went for robberies like twice a week. We have snatched about 30 motorcycles from riders.

We had a buyer, who we simply called Mallam. He bought most of the bikes at prices ranging from N30, 000 to N70,000.

He would usually resell them too. I was arrested by the police in a hideout in Ishawo after they had first apprehended Emmanuel.

My father does not know I am into robbery. Any time I did not come home, he would call me and advise me to change my ways but I never listened. I was just stubborn."