₦airaland Forum

Since the end of #EndSARS protest, which turned violent, robbers have displayed a kind of courage by engaging in the supremacy battle with the Nigeria Police on Lagos roads.

P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed that traffic robbers had taken over some roads and started robbing people with impunity having realised that the attacks on Nigeria Police really demoralized the officers.

However, it appears that the officers of the Lagos Police Command are gradually regaining their confidence and decided to bring back sanity to the State.

This followed the recent arrest of traffic robbers, who have been terrorizing residents in various locations in the State and had taken over some roads.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that Policemen attached to Morogbo and Victoria Island Divisions respectively, engaged and arrested some traffic armed robbers at various locations in the state.

He said, “On November 17, 2020, the Policemen attached to Morogbo Division, while on patrol on Badagry Expressway, engaged a gang of traffic armed robbers in a gun duel where one of the gang members fell while others fled.
The gang had earlier shot and injured a Corporal attached to the Police Border Patrol team around the area and dispossessed him of his motorcycle.

“Items recovered from the gang included a locally-made gun with some live cartridges and the Police Corporal’s snatched motorcycle” Adejobi said.

One of the notorious cult leaders terrorizing Ikorodu and its environs, Mukaila, a.k.a “Actor”, has been arrested by Police operatives from the Tactical Unit of Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos.

According to the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Hauwa Idris-Adamu, the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 2, AIG Ahmed lliyasu, due to the rise in nefarious cult activities in the Ikorodu axis of Lagos State, ordered operatives from the Tactical Units of the Zone to gather intelligence that could lead to the apprehension of the cult leaders and members terrorizing members of the public.

According to the statement, “It would be recalled that during the Presidential order for lockdown in Lagos State, Ogun State and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, some criminal elements took the advantage of that for their criminal activities, thereby terrorizing, robbing, and molesting members of the public”.

“The AIG then ordered for the arrest of the cult leaders. This led to the gathering of information about a suspected cult leader, Mukaila, who had been accused of terrorizing some communities like Maya, Itele, Igode and Adamo areas of Ikorodu, Lagos.”

“The AIG dispatched a team of operatives attached to Zonal Monitoring Unit with intelligence to the area affected; they stormed the house and hideout of the said Mukaila and arrested him.”

“Some of the items recovered from him are one pump action gun, fifty-five live cartridges, one locally made axe and assorted charms while one of his boys was arrested.”

According to the ZPPRO, investigation is in progress and actions being expedited to arrest fleeing suspects.

The AIG said the suspects will be charged to Court upon completion of investigation.

Justice may have finally come the way of a 76-year old woman, Mrs. Jolasun Okesanya, who was allegedly strangled by her son’s driver, Olalekan Hammed, in cold blood in Surulere area of Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that an Ikeja High Court, Lagos, sentenced the driver, Hameed, to death by hanging for the December 1, 2018, murder of Mrs. Okunsanya, the mother of his employer, Adetayo.

Justice Mojisola Dada, who presided over the case in Court, delivered the judgment in Lagos State during Judiciary’s maiden virtual Court session.

The virtual Court sessions were approved by Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba, in line with the Lagos State Judiciary Remote Hearing of Cases COVID-19 Pandemic Period Practice Direction.

The Court session for the charge marked ID/9006C/2019 was held online via a video app Zoom. It began at 11am and ended before 2pm.
The judge, defendant, his team of counsel, the prosecution team led by Lagos State Solicitor-General, Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, and all witnesses participated in the session remotely from different locations via the Zoom app.

The principal suspect, Hameed, was arraigned on March 6, 2019, on a two-count charge of murder and stealing. He allegedly committed the offences at about 12:30pm at plot 83, Owukori Crescent, Estate, Surulere, Lagos.
He had pleaded not guilty, hence the trial commenced.

The prosecution called several witnesses and tendered exhibits including the Coroner’s report, stolen N97,500 and $117 recovered from the convict, his confessional statement, among others.

“The only money I took was N1,000, any other money I don’t know about it. I did not kill Mrs. Jolaso Ogunsanya” the convict had told the judge during the trial.

In her judgment, Justice Dada noted that prosecution witnesses testimonies that Hakeem was the only one with the deceased at the time of her death and he was also seen scaling the fence of the deceased’s building afterwards, among others, were not disproved.

She said: “It is also an established fact that although the defendant went to the house to steal, the surprise of the deceased stumbling upon him led him to not just pushing the deceased but actually strangulating her in a bid to keep her from crying out”.

“The case is clear… I have not found any contradiction with the evidence of the prosecution witness that can be deemed material or weighty enough to cast any doubt on the prosecution against the defendant. The facts of the case are incompatible with the innocence of the defendant but rather his guilt on the two counts.”

“The defendant is hereby found guilty of this count two of murder and is hereby convicted as charged and accordingly sentenced to death.
“The sentence of this Court upon you, Olalekan Hameed, is that you be hanged by the neck until you be pronounced dead and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul. This is the virtual judgment of the Court.”

Top members of the Judiciary and Ministry of Justice also participated in the proceedings virtually.

Justice Dada conducted proceedings from High Court 10, Ikeja, the defendant Hameed was at Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre, Apapa while the counsels were at different locations.
Judicial Officers including Justice Alogba, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, Justice Josephine Oyefeso, Justice Sherifat Solebo, Justice Afeez Dabiri, Justice Roli Harriman, amongst others, also participated.

Participants from the bar included the State’s Attorney-General & Minister of Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), the prosecutor, Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, and some senior lawyers like Funke Adekoya, SAN, Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, Olukayode Enitan, SAN, amongst others.

A 30-year old man, Chinedu Obinma, who was formerly a painter, has admitted that he was a robber and gave reasons he chose robbery as a means to survive in Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Obinma, was arrested by Police operatives from Ejigbo Division after he robbed a woman, who was selling hot drinks; carted away her phone and transferred all her money about N230, 000 to another bank account before he was caught.

The suspect reportedly told the Police that he was a painter but when the business was not flourishing, he abandoned it and moved into robbery and there were changes in his life.

He said he hails from Anambra State but came to Lagos some years back and tried to make a living as a painter. When he was not getting enough to take care of himself, he joined robbery.

According to the residents, the suspect, Obinma, said that he had engaged in several robbery operations without the use of arms but deployed tricks to steal people’s personal items and escape.

Obinma had always succeeded until he came from Cele area of Okota to Ejigbo area of Lagos when he went to a woman and bought a drink. He gave the woman N1000 for N100 worth of drink. When the woman went to look for change, he stole her phone and gave it to his accomplice who quickly used the woman’s phone to transfer her money to another account.

However, he was eventually caught after the woman looked for her phone, raised alarm and held him. Her neighbours attempted to mob him before the Police rescued him and took him to the station for interrogation.

When P.M.EXPRESS correspondent visited Ejigbo Police Division to get comments from the DPO, CSP Olabisi Okuwobi, over the matter, she was said to have gone out for monitoring in the area.

However, Police sources confirmed the arrest of the suspect, Obinma and said he will be charged to Court after the conclusion of investigation.