Operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery squad, FEDSARS, have
arrested two notorious gunmen who specialize in terrorizing major parts of
Lagos state including Surulere, Mushin, Oshodi, Victoria island, Ikoyi
and its environs.
Police sources said members of the deadly gang have
claimed the lives of many persons at different times in Lagos State, in
the past few months.
Crime Guard gathered that the suspects were arrested following the directives
of the Inspector- General of Police, Solomon Arase, over the
restiveness in the state.
Consequently, a team of detectives led by
Inspector Banjoko Oluwemimo swung into action after they received
intelligence report about the nefarious activities of the gang in the
state.
The discreet investigation led to the arrest of one of the
suspects identified as Murital Aweniya aka Horspain, a renowned cultist
on April 17, 2015. His arrest further led to the arrest of the another
suspect, Lateef Akinpelu aka Obey Idi Araba, the leader of a rival cult
group.
Sources said the activities of the gang led to the alleged
brutal killing of Olasupo Abass, a commercial motorcyclist by Lateef
Akinpelu aka Obey Idi Araba, and his gang at Apesin Street, Mushin Lagos
on 21 of February.
Massacre on the streets
According
to sources; ‘’On February, 10, 2015, at about 7pm, Muritala Aweniya and
members of his gang killed one Oluwasheun Babalola, a 16-year-old boy at
Owoseni- Ishola Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos. On that same day, Mrs Mary
Babalola, mother of the late Oluwasheun was shot on her right leg by the
same gang. On April 9, 2015, Olayemi Mathew Eniola, aka Esi-Oluwo, was
also killed by the same gang.
It was learned that Obey Idi Araba,
was among the suspects arrested and charged to court in 2012, for the
murder of one Wasiu Ajose, aka Apase, by policemen from FEDSARS. He was
however, released through a motion for bail and he escaped prosecution.
Relation of victim opens up
The
elder brother of one of the victims, Bamidele Abiodun, a vulcaniser at
Apersin Street who witnessed the incident told Crime Guard: ‘’ The day
my brother was killed, he came to my shop with a faulty plasma TV for
repairs. After fixing the television, he took it and dropped it in his
mother’s shop which was the next shop.
Few minutes later, I heard
sounds of gunshot. Later, I heard Abass screaming, “what have I done?”
from where I hid inside my shop, I saw three men, one with a shot gun,
the other with a cutlass while the third had no gun on him.
The three
of them were Obey, Agbaje and Omowest. It was the one with the short
gun that shot my brother on his stomach and left him in the pool of his
blood. They kept shooting sporadically to scare sympathisers as they
escaped to Idi-Araba”.
Another witness of the brutal killing of the
teenager, a trader at Amu Timber Market simply called Abdul-Wasiu
narrated his own account. ‘’I was at Aborishade Street along Itire
road, Mushin, on February, 2015, when gunmen held residents in the area
hostage.
They armed themselves in a commando-like manner and
started shooting sporadically and as a result, two people died instantly
from stray bullets while many others sustained serious bullet injuries.
One
of the people killed was a driver of the pastor of a celestial church
opposite Aborishade street and 16-year-old Sheun Babalola, who was shot
along with his grandmother from Abule -Igbehin area of Ilasamaja.’’
A
64-year-old victim who was shot on the right leg, Mrs Mary Babalola
also narrated her heart-wrenching experience in the hands of the gang
members. ‘’ I am a native of Ayede Village in Ekiti state. I have five
children, including Oluwasheun Babalola, who was shot dead in my
presence.
On that fateful day, at about 7pm, a group of young men
stormed the area and started shooting sporadically. One of their bullets
killed my son while another hit my right leg. I can’t walk because of
the stray bullet that hit me.’’
Account of suspect
In
his defence Muri denied being a member of any armed robbery gang but,
admitted that he was a former leader of an ethnic militia group called
OPC at Mosalashi Street, Mushin area of Lagos state. Narrating the
fracas between his group and a rival cult gang that led to the killing
of innocent persons in Surulere area, 26-year-old Muri Aweniya said, ‘’
I am a school drop out.
I dropped out of the Polytechnic Ibadan. I
was initiated into cultism when I was a student by one Wale who was the
leader of Bukania confraternity in 2014. Our cult gang has several
dangerous operational weapons such as pump action, single barrel gun and
cutlass. It was my cult gang that shot and killed one Lekan at Ayilara
street in Suru-lere in March.
Other people who were killed by my my
cult group in Shitta area were: Fatai, Afeez, Ramoni, Akeem and Saheed.
These people were killed because of the fracas between my gang and
Lateef Akinpelu aka Obey’s group.
Lateef’s gang is also
responsible for the death of many people like Murphy, Shitta, Raimo and
Kabiru at Ogunmola area of Surulere, Kilo and Epo at Ayilara, Lekan and
Larne at Suru-lere, Deji and Afeez at Shitta, Aisha and Ola at Lawanson.
‘’
The late Raimo has a pregnant Woman who was killed by a stray bullet
while attending the birthday party of Murphy’s son. She was killed
alongside Murphy on that fateful day. Early this year, in the month of
February, my gang attacked and killed one Isiaka. On April 9, my gang
was hired to assassinate Esi Oluwo, a Chairman of NURTW but I wasn’t
part of the operation.’’
The second suspect, Lateef Akinpelu aka
Obey Idi Araba, told Crime Guard: ‘’I am from Abeokuta in Ogun state.
Before my arrest, I was the chairman of NURTW, Idi Araba chapter. I was a
former OPC member in Idi Araba chapter. I stopped parading myself as
the group leader since detectives from Federal SARS came to arrest me in
2012, and recovered weapons used by my gang for operation.
After
my arrest, I was charged to court and there after, remanded in prison
custody pending the DPP’s advice. Surprisingly one day, a prison warden
called and released me. I don’t know how my bail condition was perfected
and since then, I have never gone back to the court.
I was not part
of the people that murdered Abass Olasupo at Mushin It was my boys that
killed him and they briefed me that they invaded the area with guns and
killed the deceased on 21st February 2015. It was Biodun Akinwumi aka
Aluta, Agbakun, Taiwo, Kehine and Wasiu Agbaje that were responsible for
the brutal murder of Abass Olasupo. I stopped having anything to do
with them since my release from prison.’