A two-man robbery gang made up of 32-year-old Saidi Olalekan and Joshua Akinsola, 20, who specialise in raiding markets in Lagos state and dispossessing traders of their wares and cash, have been arrested by the Police in the state.
DAILY POST learnt that the duo were arrested at the popular Oshodi market during a foiled attempt to rob a textile shop owner of some lace materials and cash worth N2.5 million.
Following their arrest, stolen lace materials worth N300, 000 and cash of N2 million, were recovered from them.
The suspects on interrogation, revealed that information on their victims were usually given by their sales representatives. They also confessed that they use charms to hypnotize their victims; a means they said made their operation easy.
However, nemesis caught up with them after one of their victims who apparently was not affected by the charms, raised the alarm which led to the arrest of Akinsola.
Olalekan, an indigene of Ogun state who reports revealed had recently completed a two-year-jail term, said, “We do not use any gun or dangerous weapon during operation. What we used was a charm called ‘Atare’ and ‘Ohun.’
The 32-year-old said the charm was usually prepared by a herbalist in Apapa, revealing that most ‘419’ners’ indulged in using the charm as well.
“Any time we have an operation, we would put the charm in our mouth and another in the pocket. We would thereafter, enter any of the shops and order anyone there to bring the entire sales for the day. We would also command them to bring as much yards of material they could lay their hands on.
“They will obey without complaining,” Olalekan added.
“Also,” he continued, “No customer will come to that shop as long as we remained there. After the raid, we would quietly leave the shop. Our victims usually regain consciousness several hours later.
“At the end of each operation, we would take the stolen materials far away from where we stole them and sell them at giveaway prices.”
Sighting an instance, Olalekan said materials they steal from Idumota, will be sold at faraway places like Agege or ‘even Sango in Ogun state’ as he rightly put it, adding that after sales, they share whatever was realized equally.
On his part, his alleged partner in crime, Akinsola, disclosed that they usually got information either from sales representatives of their victims, their managers or relatives.
On the Oshodi-botched operation, Akinsola said his victim apparently had an antidote to charms that gave them away.
He confessed saying, “While Olalekan was in one of the shops, I was in another. He succeeded in carrying some wares and N2 million cash from his victim.
“But I realised that after making some incantations with the charms in my mouth and pocket, my victims did not succumb, and no sooner than I left the shop with some lace materials, they raised the alarm which attracted other traders at the Oshodi market.
“Before I knew it, policemen arrived the scene and whisked me away.
Akinsola further noted that he led the policemen to his colleague, where the stolen N2 million was recovered.
According to him, “I am from Niger Republic but I live at Ogolo, around Benin Republic.”
Consequently, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, said the suspects will be charged to court soon.
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