ring of notorious armed robbers allegedly
responsible for the death of no fewer than 25
security operatives in some states in the
country.
The group is also alleged to have been
terrorising the South West, Kwara and Kogi
states.
A cache of arms and ammunition, recovered
from the gang, included two AK
47 riffles, a wealthier P22 pistol with 49
rounds of live ammunition,two cut-to-size
double barrel guns, 100 rounds of live AK 47
ammunition, 55 live catridges, assorted charms
and two packets of Lexomil tablets.
The gang members were said to be allies of
robbery kingpin, Abiodun Ogunjobi, alias
Godogodo, recently arrested in Lagos.
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr.
Okoye Ikemefuna, while parading three
members of the gang at the headquarters of
the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Magbon,
Abeokuta, said the suspects, led by 32-year-
old Adegoke Kasali alias Goke, who is
physically challenged, had killed no fewer than
21 policemen since 2011 in the South West
States, Kwara and Kogi states.
The other members of the robbery gang,
paraded by the police, included Kareem
Mumuni, aka Baba Owo, and Lawal Waliu, alias
Ijoba. The female among them, Kemi Adesanya,
alias Special, is currently receiving treatment
for injuries sustained during the shootout with
the police team.
Okoye told newsmen that the gang members
had confessed to killing the former South West
Coordinator and Ogun State Commander of the
Vehicle Inspection Officer, Mr. Yomi
Bamgbose, in 2011 as well as the killing of five
policemen attached to the Quick Response
Squad at the Ijemo Agbadu and Mowe/Ibafo
areas one year ago.
The gang was also said to have allegedly killed
about 11 policemen in Kwara and Lagos states
and were responsible for the death of five
policemen in the Imeko area of Ogun State, in
a bullion van attack in September 2011.
They were also said to be responsible for the
killing of four members of the Ogun State
Vigilance Service and three filling station
attendants in Ifo last June.
The suspects also allegedly snatched a Range
Rover Sport Utility van from a popular Fuji
musician, Wasiu Pasuma last August along the
Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Okoye told newsmen that Kasali was injured in
a shootout with the police and arrested by
SARS, led by the Officer-in-Charge, Mohammed
Tijani, in the Obele area, a border town
between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
Kasali was said to have led the SARS team to
the hideout of the other members of his gang
in the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State.
"On reaching there, his gang members opened
fire on the team and the team replied fire for
fire and killed three of the robbers while three
were arrested and the others escaped," he
added.
He said efforts were on to arrest the fleeing
gang members.
"The lady among them is the most deadly; she
was the one shooting at the SARS men," the
police boss said.
Kasali told PUNCH Metro that he had killed
about seven policemen.
Unable to use his left hand since childhood,
due to burns he claimed to have sustained,
Kasali said he regretted his involvement in
crime.
He said, "This is the work of the devil. I
cannot fathom why I'm into armed robbery.
It's beyond my comprehension. I've lost count
of the policemen I've killed but they can't be
less than seven.
"I was also part of the gang that killed the four
vigilance service men and three petrol
attendants in Ifo. On that day, we operated
with Godogodo. Godogodo was our boss and
he hated seeing policemen.
"We also killed two people at the Baptist
Church in Sango Ota. I want to advise those
still engaged in armed robbery to give up. I've
been in this job in the past seven years."
The police commissioner had earlier paraded
five members of a highway robbery syndicate,
which specialised in laying ambush for trucks
loaded with goods on the expressway.
The gang members, including Sola Bamigbade,
Abidemi Tajudeen, Kehinde Oguntade, Aliu
Hamzat and Joseph Ebenezer; were arrested
after robbing a cable wire dealer of goods
worth N25m last week at Ogere, along the
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Source: Punch
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