THREE suspected armed robbers who have been terrrorising Gberigbe area of Ikorodu Lagos, State have said they have been scaring their victims with ‘Banger’ rather than gunshots.
The suspects are currently cooling their heels with the Strike Team of the Lagos State Police Command.
It was learnt that they stormed Gberigbe recently, where they carried out a house-to-house raid of two streets, dispossessing victims of cash, phones, jewellery and electrical appliances.
Nemesis however caught up with them as the youths who were alerted raced to the scene, overpowered and handed them over to the Police.
They have since been charged to court.
In his confessional statement, the leader of the gang, Segun Adeleke, said that they had never operated with a gun.
He said, “ We used ‘banga’ during operation. We have operated at Gberigbe, three times.
We would strike the banga which sounds like gunshots. We operated between 12.30 am and 2.30 am.
“We don’t force doors open. Owners of the apartments open for us because we would threaten to shoot them if they acted otherwise.
“We don’t rape during operation too because we are not armed. In one of the rooms we entered, we saw a woman naked. I told her to put on her clothes but she said she was pregnant and was hot since there was no light. I collected three phones and jewellery from her.
“After operation, we would take the stolen items to Alakara Mushin, to sell. I sold one of the iPhones for N20,000.
Adeleke, said he was once arrested but escaped from Police custody.
Explaining how that was possible, he said, “ I was arrested with a toy gun by Policemen at Victoria Island Division.
“I had joined a robbery gang to steal items from a supermarket.
“On the day we were to be taken to court, the IPO brought me and other suspects out of the cell.
“He said he forgot something in the office and left to get it. I mixed with the crowd and escaped.
“I went straight to a ghetto in Akala, Mushin. You don’t have to pay for accommodation there. I slept on the streets. I met two other boys there, with whom I formed a new gang.
“This gang headed by me would leave Mushin for Gberigbe, to operate. At the last operation, youths chased us but I was lucky to escape.
“I rushed down to Mushin to hide, unknown to me that other members had been arrested. One of them brought the Police to arrest me”.
On his part, 21-year-old Quadri Adeniyi said his role in the operation was to stay outside and look out for any intruder.
He said, “I am a bus conductor. My job was to stand outside and alert members of any intruder, during operation. I also gathered all the phones collected from victims inside a bag”.
The third suspect, Abiola Fatai, 21, claimed that was his first time joining the gang for operation.
He said, “During the operation, I collected a Plasma television from one of the rooms. When the street boys came, we all tried to escape.
“I didn’t know the terrain because that was my first time joining them to rob. I ran into a street which led me to a dead end.
“My intention was to jump through a fence but I discovered that the Plasma television was heavy and slowed my pace. At the same time, I couldn’t throw it away”.
