Police nab tricycle robber

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a man who specialises in robbing people in tricycles.

The suspect, Timileyin Adebayo, 23, in company of three other suspects, had on July 12, 2019, while pretending to be passengers in a tricycle, used knives and cutlass to dispossess a lady of her belongings.

In his confession to the police, Adebayo mentioned named three members of his gang.

“The operation was my fifth robbery with the gang. I joined them this July and for each of the operation, they gave me N8,000 only,” Adebayo said.

“No matter what we made, that is what they gave me. Maybe, because I just joined the gang. They don’t treat me as one of them at all.”

Adebayo, a former bus conductor, said he joined the gang to replace a former member.

He said they rob between Coca Cola and Ogba and Ikeja to Ogba with knives and cutlass to collect phones and belongings of victims.

A television presenter who Adedayo and his gang last robbed pleaded anonymity.

She said the gang robbed her at about 10:00 p.m. at Coca Cola Bus Stop, Ikeja when she boarded a tricycle.

“They were all men, I didn’t suspect anything because there were other ‘Keke’ there. I noticed that as soon as the driver linked Wempco Road, the two passengers at the back and the one sitting down in front brought out knives and cutlass and threatened to kill me if I did not cooperate with them,” she said.

She said two phones, jewelry and some money was taken from her. She was later pushed out of the tricycle while on speed.

“I was struggling to get up to avoid oncoming vehicles from hitting me, one bike man assisted me and we were on their tail. We caught up with them in Akilo Road, and unfortunately for us, they used their ‘keke’ to hit us,” she said.

“This was the point RRS patrol team saw us and chased the robbers. They abandoned their ‘keke’ and fled in different directions but they got that one (pointing to the suspect).”

Recovered from the robbers were a tricycle and a dagger.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Muazu in his reaction to the development directed the transfer of the case to State CID office and ordered the immediate arrest of other members of the gang.