Man arrested allegedly robbing filling station attendants

The police in Lagos said they have arrested a 30-year-old armed robbery suspect allegedly in the act of robbing some filling station attendants.

The suspect, Chizoba Okeke, was allegedly arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) from the FESTAC Division, Lagos Command at a filling station at Second Rainbow, Oshodi-Apapa expressway, Lagos, while he and his gang members were allegedly robbing their victims on October 3, 2019 at about 11.30pm.

It was learnt that luck ran against the suspected robbers when the SARS operatives got a distress call from informants that a petrol station at Rainbow junction was under attack.

Consequent upon receiving the message, a team of detectives from the FESTAC Division were dispatched to the scene.

A police source said that the robbers, on sighting the police team, opened fire on the approaching police patrol van.

Okeke was said to have sustained injury during the exchange of gunfire and was arrested, while other members of the gang escaped with bullet wounds.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the incident, said that at the time of arrest, Okeke had in his possession a POS machine, ATM cards, a sword, two daggers, military uniform and house-breaking equipment.

Elkana said, “The suspect was not operating alone. He operated along with other gang members now at large. Investigation is ongoing to ascertain where and how he got the military uniform he operated with. It is not yet established whether he belongs to the gang of dismissed soldiers arrested some weeks ago.”