…As police drag kingpin, members to court
…Victims hail Gov Sanwo-Olu, police
By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor
For long, they held residents of Satellite town, a suburb of Lagos state and environs hostage, robbing, maiming, extorting, killing, intimidating and harassing them as if they were in a lawless state.
Their brigandage knew no bounds as they even terrorized security agents especially the police and local government officials. They held sway unabashedly at Oguntade village where their kingpin claimed to be the Oba and supreme leader.
They became laws unto themselves and operated freely wielding dangerous weapons of all sorts including broken bottles and tiles which they converted to weapons used in attacking anybody or group that confronted them.
Members of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, were not spared as they were subjected to series of extortion, beatings and even death. Countless business men operating in their area of jurisdiction were also not left out.
Their warehouses and goods were impounded and converted into personal use. Landlords too fell victims of their attack as those who could not pay their huge ransom of not less than N10m were chased out of their legal property while their buildings were converted into personal use by engaging other tenants who paid rent to them.
Fruitless efforts
The gang appeared invincible that efforts made by the police to dismantle and bring them to book in the past failed woefully. Residents of the areas where they carried out their nefarious activities were openly groaning in pains and anguish as the terror gang continued to grow in reputation and strength.
The case became worse when it was obvious that all efforts made to checkmate them failed due to the overbearing and ruinous influence of their sponsors and backers which, unfortunately, included some serving and retired top security agents.
Initially, the name of a former Inspector-General of Police was touted as one of the strongest backers of the gang’s kingpin, but it later turned out that the kingpin also duped the former police boss of the sum of N65m over land.
Luckily, both Lagos state government and Police authorities who were watching their criminal exploits from a distance took up the gauntlet and struck a deadly blow. The state police boss, Hakeem Odumosu swung into action and succeeded in dislodging the criminal gang. He tasked the Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Satellite town and a former police spokesman in the state, CSP Chike Oti to ensure the criminal dynasty of the gang was brought to an end. .
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s directive to police authorities came few months after CP Odumosu attempted to dislodge the criminals from their hideout. The first operation drove them out of Lagos state and their kingpins were declared wanted by the police.
Few months after this encounter, Crime Guard learned that both the members of the gang and their godfather surreptitiously sneaked back into their den at Oguntade village and started unleashing fresh attacks on both residents and truck drivers to the extent that palpable fear gripped all the people living in the areas. During the fierce encounter, police succeeded in arresting some of the hoodlums.
Later, some policemen from Satellite division laid ambush around Oguntade and succeeded in arresting one of the sons of the kingpin. His arrest elicited wide jubilation from resident s of the area that had been long traumatized by their criminal activities.
AIG to the rescue
Police sources said that while SARS operatives were investigating with a view to arresting all the members of the criminal gang, their god father proceeded to Zone 2, Onikan in an attempt to thwart justice by transferring arrested members of his gang to the zone. Unfortunately, the AIG, Ahmed Iliyasu vehemently refused to oblige them and even directed his immediate arrest and handover to SARS which was carried out promptly.
Arrest of more gang members
Police sources said while the leader of the criminal gang was in detention, SARS operatives carried out series of operations and succeeded in arresting almost all the members of the gang.
Sources said that one of them called Badoo, aged 29, who was next to the first son of the kingpin, confessed during interrogation that he led the gang that carried out the demolition of a popular market in Satellite town on the orders of the kingpin which they later sold to an oil agent that converted it to a filling station at the cost of N120m.
Crime Guard gathered that he also revealed that the gang had two factions, one led by him while the other was led by someone hired by the kingpin from Igbese-Lisade area of Ogun state with the assistance of a notorious land grabber who supplied them armed thugs whenever they needed. He further revealed that the kingpin promised them a plot of land each at White Sand area of Satellite town and a sum of N20, 000 per week.
Victims lament
Furthermore, police sources said that after the arrest of the kingpin and his hit men, many of their victims thronged to the Command headquarters, Ikeja to narrate their plight and even gave details of how their relations were killed by the gang. Specifically, it was learned that some women came and alleged that the body of their late husband who was the former Oba in Oguntade village, was exhumed and burnt publicly by the criminal gang. Another victim was also said to have created scene at the police command after she threw herself on the ground narrating how her only son was killed by the gang and pleaded with the police to give her justice.
Shocker for the kingpin
It was further learned that while the kingpin was in detention, he maintained that he was being witch hunted without knowing that key leaders of his gang had been rounded up and had made confessions and provided the detectives with details of their deadly operations.
Sources said, detectives were able to gather details of the operations carried out by the gang and their many exploits prompting their being charged to court without delay.
Prior to their appearance in court, both the kingpin and members of his gang were paraded by the police at the command headquarters, Ikeja where the kingpin was shocked to see that almost all members of his gang had been arrested and were in handcuffs.
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Source: www.vanguardngr.com
