Detectives have arrested the alleged mastermind of the explosion that rocked Abule-Ado, a community in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos earlier this year.
The suspect identified as Yusuf but popularly known as Prince, is said to be the leader of a dreaded criminal gang who has been terrorizing residents of Abule-Ado, Abule-Osun and it’s environs.
The police said that the suspect is one of the sons of a self-acclaimed traditional ruler in the area.
The police said he was arrested on Saturday at Satellite town after months of manhunt and discreet Investigation by police from Area E Command, Lagos State Police Command.
The police said that the suspect was arrested when he launched a fresh attack on some residents of the area.
Report has it that two persons were feared killed during the crisis that erupted on Saturday morning.
Trouble was said to have started after members of the gang stormed a warehouse in Abule-Osun with the intention of extorting money from the owner but the attempt was resisted leading to fierce crisis.
It was gathered that the Area Commander of Festac police Area Command, ACP Halilu Muawiya swiftly swung into action and ordered the Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Satellite police station, CSP Chike Oti to personally lead a team to quell the raging crisis.
The middle-aged arrested suspect identified as Yusuf and popularly called Prince, is said to be the son of a man that claims to be the Oba of Oguntade village in Satellite town.
His arrest triggered wild jubilation by residents who had been subjected to killings, extortion, harassment and intimidation for long by the gang.
It was learnt that the police have had several deadly encounters with the vicious gang led by the arrested suspect and each time, they escaped to their hideout in Badagry after fights, which often lead to bloodletting only to strike again when the coast becomes eventually clear for them, leading to his being declared wanted by the police last year.
Sources in the neighbourhood also disclosed that series of petitions about the deadly exploits of the gang were sent to different police formations in the state without action taken to call them to order.
Happy residents of the area alleged that the suspect and his gang members were responsible for the attacks and forceful confiscation of many properties belonging to people in the area who failed to be extorted huge sums of money.
According to sources, they were the people that carted away goods and properties worth millions of naira after breaking into the warehouse of a popular moviemaker, Gabosky Okoye, early this year.
“They also nearly killed another businessman who refused to pay the N10m levy they illegally imposed on his warehouse by subjecting him to series of torture and beatings leading to his being flown overseas where he has been reclined permanently on wheelchair as a result of the injuries he sustained,” he said.
It was further gathered that the gang, last year, abducted six policemen from police headquarters who came to the area for surveillance, subjected them to hours of flogging and punishment before carting away their weapons.
Some policemen from Satellite division later succeeded in retrieving the weapons after pacifying them.
Furthermore, it was gathered that the gang also invaded Oriade Local government headquarters after their officials went to work in Oguntade community and unleashed mayhem in their offices but no official action was taken against them.
Similarly, the officers in Area ‘E’ have arrested two commercial motorcyclists for operating on the express road and seized over 40 motorcycles after their owners attacked them. It was gathered that `trouble started after the enraged commercial motorcyclists numbering over a hundred started pelting policemen who were chasing them for plying the highway. The motorcyclists nearly succeeded in over powering the armed policemen but for a swift reinforcement, which led to their withdrawal.
Contacted for comments, Lagos State Police spokesman, SP Bala Elkana confirmed the arrest of the notorious gang leader and stated that they are compiling all his exploits in preparation to charge him to court.
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