How eight people got nabbed during initiation into One Million Boys

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested eight suspected cultists in the Ojo Local Government Area of the state.

The men of the Operation Crush, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Ilemba Hausa Police Station, CSP Kazeem Abonde, apprehended the suspects at No. 15 Alado Street, Shibiri, where they were being initiated into the One Million Boys by one Yusuf Abu, 20.

The suspected cultists include Sunday Gabriel, 20, of No. 7 Owode Baba Water Street, Shibiri; Rilwan Dauda, 18, of Ogbokwo Street, Ajegunle; Mohammed Sikiru, 23, of No. 15 Kareem Street, Shibiri; and Oladimeji Abayomi, 18, of No. 6 Baale Street, Shibiri.

Others are Rasheed Alabi, 20, of No. 49 Bunmi Ajakaye Street, Shibiri; Habeeb Idowu, 18, of No. 6 Baale Street, Shibiri; Bisola Olaiya, 18, of No. 6 Mosalasi Street, Shibiri; and Hawawu Hazzan, 19, of Zone 6, Orisa Street, Imude

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Bala Elkana, said in a statement on Sunday that the police recovered three sharp cutlasses, a fetish calabash with dangerous charms and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp from the suspects, who had been charged.

Elkana stated, “On August 15, 2019, around 6.30pm, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Operation Crush from the Ilemba Hausa Police Station, led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Kazeem Abonde, arrested eight suspected members of the One Million Boys Confraternity during an initiation.

“The suspects were arrested at No. 15 Alado Street, Shibiri, where they were being initiated into the cult by one Yusuf Abu, 20.

“The police also recovered three sharp cutlasses, a fetish calabash with dangerous charms and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp from the suspects. They were charged and remanded in prison custody.”

In a similar development, Elkana said an anti-crime patrol team led by Inspector Dada Akawu from the Mushin Police Station nabbed a traffic robbery suspect and recovered firearms from him.

According to him, the team intercepted one red Honda motorcycle with number plate AKM 300 VJ on Ogunmokun Street, Mushin.

He said, “The motorcycle was conveying four persons reasonably suspected to be members of a gang of armed robbers terrorising Mushin and its environs. The gang mostly operates on motorcycles for easy access to escape routes after operations.

“The gang was responsible for a series of robberies reported in the area with the same mode of operation. They take advantage of traffic situations and dispossessed unsuspecting members of the public of their valuables such as handsets, laptops, bags and money.

“The rider refused to stop and was given a hot chase. The leader of the gang, known as Taofeek Oladiran, 26, was arrested, while others escaped in different directions to crowded areas in Akala, Idi-Oro. The motorcycle was recovered.

“One bag containing a locally-made pistol, one expended cartridge, 11 live cartridges and a jacket decorated with charms were recovered.”

Elkana revealed the identities of the fleeing suspects as Afeez, Michael and Tolu, adding that the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad had taken over the case and launched a manhunt for them.

He added that investigation was ongoing in the case.

In another development, a 15-year-old boy, Issa Jidda, and two others, Alli Jumah, 19, and Adamu Mohammed, 22, have been arrested by the operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad for robbing two ladies of their mobile phones.

The suspects, who were said to be notorious for robbing unsuspecting victims on the Long Bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Isheri, Ojodu/Berger and Agidingbi, Ikeja areas, were arrested on Saturday around 8.46pm on the Olowopopo Way, Ikeja, after robbing their victims.

The trio were arrested by the RRS patrol team after it responded to a distress call that some robbers on a motorcycle were operating in Agidingbi.

The officers trailed the robbers to the Olowopopo Way, where a motorist, who got a hint that the suspects were being chased, hit their motorcycle to prevent them from escaping through the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The owners of the two android phones snatched at the Gateway Estate, Isheri, and Agidingbi, identified the suspects and the phones were retrieved from them.

According to one of the suspects, Jidda, the gang had been operating on the Long Bridge, Isheri, Unilag Estate, Gateway Estate, Ojodu/Berger, the New African Shrine and Agidingbi since May 2019.

The primary school dropout stated, “I was invited to join the gang by Adamu; he is the leader of the gang. I have gone out on robberies with them on seven occasions. We rob in traffic, especially on the Long Bridge. Our targets are mobile phones, wallets and jewellery.

“We avoid operating in Kara because we live there and our colleagues might see us. We sell the stolen phones and share the money. The motorcycle that we use is owned by Alli. We operate using knife and dagger as our arms.”

They have been transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad for further investigation.

The state Commissioner of Police, Muazu Zubair, urged the residents to continue to cooperate with the police in order to address the security challenges in the state.