Dismissed soldiers, 88 others nabbed for murder, cultism

Seven suspects, who usually wear military uniform to rob residents of Ijegun in Lagos State, have been arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state police command for dispossessing a motorist of his black Lexus RX330 SUV.



The suspects, Ndidi Oluchukwu, Owolabi Adeyemo, David Olufemi, Iseyin Israel, Emeka Ibe, Samuel Anochime and Ebedot Stephen, who had been dismissed from service by the Nigerian Army, were said to have accosted the victim on his way to Ibadan and robbed him of the vehicle at gunpoint.



 The state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, while parading the suspects on Monday, said 12 pairs of military camouflage, two cutlasses, ATM cards, military identity cards, jack knives, female pants and a local ring were recovered from them, adding that during interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and would be charged.









He said, “The command has received a lot of distress calls from residents of Ijegun and its environs about the activities of some armed robbers, who were operating in military uniform. One of such incidents happened on Monday, February 18, 2019, around 4.35pm, when a motorist, who was travelling to Ibadan, was accosted by the suspects, who dispossessed him of his Lexus RX330 black SUV at gunpoint.



“It was on the strength of those complaints that we tasked our SARS operatives to identify the gang and apprehend them. Members of the robbery gang were arrested in the Ijegun, Baruwa Estate, Ipaja, Iyana Ipaja, Ishashi and Ikotun areas of Lagos. They are Ndidi Oluchukwu, 30; Owolabi Adeyemo, 42; David Olufemi, 47; Iseyin Israel, 41; Emeka Ibeh, 29; Samuel Anochime, 36; and Ebedot Stephen, 27. Investigation revealed that the suspects are dismissed soldiers. They will be charged.”



In another development, a former employee of a health maintenance organisation, Clearline International Limited, Funmilayo Oyelaja, has been arrested by men of the command for allegedly siphoning N60m from the National Health Insurance Scheme’s account while working for the firm in Lagos.



Oyelaja’s lover, Tunde Ogunseye, was also arrested for conniving with her to flee the country when the company was looking for her to account for the stolen fund.









Oyelaja told PUNCH Metro that she was in charge of the NHIS account at the company, adding that whenever Clearline paid hospitals from the NHIS account, she and her bosses took advantage of such transactions to defraud the scheme.



The Ogun State indigene alleged that the company had swindled the NHIS of over N60m, adding that her bosses started looking for her when they discovered that she had also diverted N38m into her personal account from the transactions.



The 38-year-old suspect said, “When I was working with Clearline International Limited, I handled the NHIS account for the company. So, whenever we paid hospitals from the NHIS account, some of the money would bounce back, but instead of us to return the money to the NHIS account, we would direct it into another account belonging to the firm. My bosses knew about it and it was that strategy that I used to divert money into my own account.



“But when the management suspected that I was diverting some of the funds into my account, they started looking for me and my colleagues informed me; so, my lover and I ran to Ghana. The company said I stole N60m out of the money they got through fraudulent means, but I only stole N38m, while the amount stolen by the firm was more than N60m.



“It was when the police arrested my lover that I surrendered myself and the company has already seized my property and what is left of the money.”









Ogunseye said he was arrested when he visited Nigeria to attend his mother’s burial in the Ifako area of the state.



Muazu said investigation was ongoing into the case and the suspects would be charged, adding, “In the last one month, the command has arrested 40 armed robbery suspects, 29 suspects for cultism, and 19 suspects for murder.”



The personnel of the command have also arrested some suspects for robbing unsuspecting members of the public of their valuables in the Abule-Oja and Berger areas of the state.



In the Abule-Oja area, 11 traffic robbers, Ahmed Durojaiye, 23; Waheed Oseni, 24; Rilwan Moshood, 27; Taiwo Idowu, 32; Monsuru Mukaila, 20; Ahmed Oyebode, 29; Seyi Ogundele, 36; Ogunmola Akintayo, 30; Olatunji Segun, 28; Ayobami Olaniyi, 20; and Oladimeji Mustapha, 27, were arrested.



In the Berger area, Jamiu Sanni, 27; Idowu Omorodion, 29; Aliu Mukaila, 15; Monsuru Kilani, 39; Azeez Quyum, 21; Oladokun Timothy, 24; Jamiu Jimoh, 31; and Musiliu Adio, 37, were also apprehended.



“The suspects have confessed to being responsible for the crimes,” Muazu said, adding that they would be charged.



Also, personnel of the state command have arrested the ring leader of the Awawa Boys, Toby Akinbayo, and two other members, one Balogun Jide and another identified simply as Dolapo, for terrorising Agege, Dopemu, Elere, Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Alakuko, Pen Cinema, Abattoir, Iju and Oko-Oba areas of the state.









Similarly, three suspects, Aspita Mercy, Jonathan Ukonues and Emmanuella Ozeegi, were arrested for allegedly recording videos of married men hanging out with young women in a Lagos hotel.



After recording the videos, Muazu said the suspects would force their victims to sign undertakings to pay them in order to avoid being blackmailed.



The CP said, “Their modus operandi was to lure their victims, especially married men, through unsolicited dating by Emmanuella Ozeegi, and once she succeeded, she would invite the victims to a hotel or the residence of the kingpin, Aspita.



“The lady would then make a phone call to her master and they would immediately enter into the room, attack their victims and order the young women and the men to strip naked for video recording. The men would be searched and dispossessed of their valuables and be forced to write undertakings for the payment of ransom or they wouldbe threatened that the video clips would go viral.”

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