Ogun Police nab 3 escaping robbery gang members, fake lawyer

Three members of armed robbery syndicate, who had escaped arrest when operatives of Special anti-robbery squad (SARS) stormed their hideout at Adesan area of Mowe, Ogun State early June, have been arrested.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement he sent to The DEFENDER on Monday.

The suspects; Saheed Bello who is the leader of the gang and Bello Sadiq were traced to Academy area of Ibadan based on intelligence investigation embarked upon by the CSP Tijani Mohammed led SARS operatives and they were apprehended.

Their arrest led to the arrest of one Ibrahim Rasheed who is the gang herbalist at Ile-Ogbo in Osun State. Recovered from them are one locally made single barrel pistol and five live cartridges.

The gang has been responsible for a series of robbery cases around Mowe/Ofada areas in recent time. Four members of the gang had earlier been arrested on the 7th of June 2020 while the recently arrested ones escaped as a result of which the Commissioner of police ordered a serious manhunt for them.

In another development on Tuesday, the PPRO said a suspect claiming to be a lawyer when has also been arrested.

“Men of Ogun State police Command have on Sunday 28th of June, 2020 arrested one Elijah Ayodeji Ojo who has been parading  himself as a legal practitioner for quite some time now and has been using that to swindle several people of huge amounts of money.

“The suspect was arrested following a petition written to the DPO Ajuwon police station by a legal practitioner who reported that the suspect who had been parading himself as a lawyer and thereby extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public has never been to law school anywhere and therefore not qualify to be addressed as a lawyer talkless of practicing the legal profession.

“Upon the petition, the DPO Ajuwon division, SP Andrew Akinseye and his team of detectives embarked on a painstaking intelligence investigation about the self acclaimed lawyer. In the process of their investigation, they came across a woman who was charged to court for an offence, but was duped by the suspect who collected about #300,000 from her to perfect her bail condition, but never show-up in the court.

“The suspect was subsequently arrested after much evidence had been gathered against him, on interrogation, he confessed that though he gained admission to study law at Ekiti State University but did not finish the course without going to law school.

“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Kenneth Ebrimson has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the State Criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation and diligent prosecution.”