Eight members of different cult gangs that reportedly attacked the convoy of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Lagos have confessed to carrying out the attack.
The suspects, who were recruited by different gang leaders on the Lagos Island, admitted being paid to perpetrate the act.
One of the suspects, who identified himself as Ramon Aniseoju, said they were recruited to disrupt the movement of the convoy and not to allow it get to its final destination.
“We were paid to prevent those on the convoy from getting to the palace of the Oba of Lagos and to dispass them,” he said.
The suspects were arrested from their different hideouts on the Lagos Island by detectives from Zone 2 Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos.
Also arrested were seven members of an armed robbery syndicate operating at the Alaba International Market in the Ojo area of the state.
Cables reportedly stolen from a company in the Yaba area of the state and valued at N80 million were said to have been recovered from them.
The officer-in-charge of Zone 2, comprising Lagos and Ogun states, Bode Adeleke, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, who paraded the suspects, said, “Recall that recently the convoy of Alhaji Tinubu was attacked by some hoodlums where some members of his press crew were injured. some of the suspects have been arrested.”
The AIG said some of the suspects confessed to be members of various cult groups and named the principal suspect who sponsored the attack.
He said the mastermind would soon be arrested, adding that the police had stepped up manhunt.
The AIG, who was represented by Zonal Public Relations Officer, SP Hauwa Idris-Adamu, said, “They are suspected cultists, who attacked the press crew of the APC presidential candidate entourage on the day they were to visit the Oba of Lagos.
“The press convoy was attacked and this was sponsored by someone who we wouldn’t mention his name until he is in the police custody.
“Following investigations, the suspects were arrested and they all confessed to have committed the crime. They mentioned the mastermind’s name. They also belong to various cult fraternities. Investigations are still ongoing and we would get back to the press as soon as we have the principal suspect in our net.”
The PPRO, who also paraded nine other suspects in connection with the theft of optic fiber cables worth about N80 million, said they were arrested by the Zone’s monitoring unit, led by CSP Uba Adams.
“We busted the chain of the suspected armed robbery syndicate at the Alaba International Market in the Ojo area of the state and recovered the entire cables stolen from a company in Yaba, valued at N80 million. The robbers stormed Jus Partners Cosmopolitan Limited, a telecommunications consultancy, at Yaba, on June 20, 2022, tied the security guards on duty and made away with 16 drums of 96 Core Starlite Optic cables.
“Giving this criminal act, the company’s management petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Bode Adeleke, who consequently detailed CSP Uba Adams-led Zonal Monitoring Unit (ZMU) to uncover the cabals. The unit immediately swung into action and deployed its technical and intelligence-based investigation.
“A team of covert detectives accompanied the complainant to the market and directed the company’s representative to pretentiously walk into the heart of the business community on market survey of the particular cables.
“This idea turned out fruitful as the first person the the company’s representative met, though in the business of buying and selling of such items, later gave the investigating team a leeway into nabbing the culprits.
“Photographs of the exact cable were shown, and to show commitment, the company was directed to make a deposit of N500,000 before the company’s representative could be taken to the warehouse. A deal was struck and money remitted into the account of one Felix Onyema, who turned out to be the principal suspect.
“Eventually, the cables were recovered from Felix Onyema’s residence at Sibiri, who has since then gone into hiding.”
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