Two suspects who had stolen a tricycle at Ifo, in Ogun State, have been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force, who were on night patrol at Oshodi.
The taskforce chairman, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, spoke on the arrest of the suspects – Sodiq Sulaiman and Saidi Ibrahim, saying the tricycle with Registration Number: JJJ-706-QF, was parked by the owner on the road lay-by when it was stolen.
Egbeyemi said taskforce official who sighted the robbers, gave them a hot chase, which led to their arrest. “It was after they refused to stop that our officers ran after them before they were caught at Cappa after abandoning the tricycle on the road, ” he said.
CSP Egbeyemi who urged residents to be careful and to take proper care of their belongings, however, hinted that during these ‘Ember Months’ officers of the Agency have been deployed to strategic locations across the State to protect life and properties of the citizenry.
Sulaiman, an ex-convict, confessed that the tricycle was stolen at ‘Ifo’ and it was being taken to one ‘Mallo’ at Idi-Oro, for sale at an agreed sum of N40, 000, before they were arrested at Oshodi the Task Force.
According to him “I was just released from Kirikiri prison last month where I spent seven months for not being able to produce a commercial tricycle given to me on hire purchase by the owner.”
“I was trained as a tricycle mechanic for four years at ‘Abekoko’ area of Oyo State before I came to Lagos in the year 2017 and started stealing phones, bags including tricycles with one Saheed Ibrahim whom I met at ‘Akala’ area of Mushin”, he added.
The second arrested suspect, Ibrahim, a bricklayer, revealed that before both of them started stealing tricycles they specialised in using motorcycles to rob innocent members of the public of their valuable items at night.
“We had stolen and sold more than 55 phones, jewellery, laptops and seven tricycles to one ‘Mallo’ at Idi-Oro area of Mushin. We sold all our stolen items to ‘Mallo’ and others at Ido-Oro and Akala area of Mushin”, he stated.
Some of the suspects
The chairman noted that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Zubairu Muazu has directed that the two arrested suspects be immediately charged to court for prosecutions, Egbeyemi urged residents to be cautious and take proper care of their belongings during these ’ember months’.
In a related development, the Lagos State Government has warned members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), to conduct their activities in a peaceful manner and not to disrupt the peace of innocent members of the public.
A statement issued by the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi warned all members of the NURTW across the State to always conduct their activities in a peaceful manner as anyone caught fomenting trouble would be severely dealt with in accordance with the law.
He confirmed that 11 members of the Union were arrested over the weekend by the Enforcement team of the Agency for causing mayhem around Yaya-Abatan Garage at Ogba.
Egbeyemi revealed that dangerous weapons such as axes, diggers, broken bottles and cutlasses were recovered from all those arrested in connection with the mayhem.
He said that all arrested suspects have been immediately charged to court to serve as a deterrent to other union members who might want to disturb the peace in the State.