Hoodlums Who Attacked Lagos Motorcyclist With Machetes Nabbed

A commercial motorcyclist, Saheed Ambali, has narrated his ordeal in the hands of three hoodlums, who allegedly attacked him with machetes around the Fagbemi/Victor Street in the Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

One of the hoodlums, PUNCH Metro learnt, had asked Ambali to convey him to a destination, but the 44-year-old declined.

It was gathered that the hoodlums had a plan to steal Ambali’s motorcycle with number plate KRD 310 QH.

The hoodlums, who were identified as Chinedu Uzozie, Lekan Bashiru and Adeleke Lateef, allegedly cut Ambali with machetes and left him in a pool of his blood.

Our correspondent gathered that after the attack, the hoodlums were about to abscond with the motorcycle when a tricycle operator blocked them.

Ambali said eyewitnesses, who came to his rescue, saved him from dying, adding that they gave the hoodlums a hot chase and apprehended them at their hideout.

The Oyo State indigene said, “I was out around 7.30am and looking for passengers around Fagbemi/Victor Street, when the hoodlums stopped me to convey them to Church bus stop. I told them that I wanted to convey a woman to her destination, but when they realised that I did not want to convey them, they suddenly brought out machetes and used them to cut me on my head, hands and legs.

“I was on the floor covered in blood, but when the hoodlums wanted to run away with my motorcycle, a tricycle operator used his tricycle to block them and people, who witnessed the attack, pursued the hoodlums.

“When I was becoming unconscious, residents quickly rushed me to the Samas Hospital. I want these hoodlums to be prosecuted because of what they did to me. I am in serious pain and if not for the help I got, they would have killed me.”

An eyewitness, Abdulhafiz Balogun, said the manner in which the hoodlums attacked Ambali prompted the residents to torture them when they were eventually caught, adding that the quick intervention of the men of the Ipaja Police Division prevented the residents from subjecting the hoodlums to jungle justice.

Balogun said, “I just came back from the mosque and was praying inside when someone knocked on my door to inform me that some motorcycle riders were fighting, but when we moved closer, we discovered that it was some hoodlums who attacked Ambali.

“He was badly injured, so we quickly rushed him to hospital. We caught one of the hoodlums on the spot but the others ran into a bush. So, with the involvement of policemen from the Ipaja Police Station, we searched around and caught the second hoodlum where he was hiding in the bush. The last person, who scaled a fence to enter a building under construction, was caught inside a tank.

“After we caught the hoodlums, the youth tortured them, but the police brought the situation under control. In fact, the DPO of the station led some policemen to survey the area after the incident and educated the youth on jungle justice, saying if they had killed the hoodlums, it would have been bad because the law did not permit such.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed the arrest of the three suspects, adding that one of them, Lateef Adeleke, aka Tianko, was a notorious motorcycle snatcher, who was recently released after serving seven years in prison.

He stated that Adeleke and his gang members met their Waterloo during the attack on Ambali, adding that a machete, knife and the snatched motorcycle were recovered from them.

Elkana said, “On May 11, 2019, around 8am, upon receiving information that three armed hoodlums were operating on Victor Street, Ipaja, policemen were quickly mobilised to the scene to engage them. The hoodlums, later identified as Lateef Adeleke, 23; Lekan Bashiru, 23; and Chinedu Uzozie, 21, all of no fixed address, were arrested by the policemen.

“However, one Saheed Ambali, who was injured with machetes and dispossessed of his motorcycle by the hoodlums, was rescued and taken to the Samas Hospital, where he is responding to treatment. A machete, knife and Bajaj motorcycle with number plate KRD 310 QH were recovered.

“The leader of the gang, Lateef Adeleke, aka Tianko, is notorious for snatching motorcycles from people; he just returned not quite long ago after spending seven years in prison. When he finished his term, he returned and formed a new gang and started robbing people again.

“The gang is well known for snatching motorcycles, but the members met their Waterloo when they attacked the motorcyclist. The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.”