The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned two members of a robbery gang – 42-year-old Moruf Afolabi, and Saheed Adeoti, 25 – alongside a police officer,Tunde, who were arrested for allegedly attacking a polythene producing company in Alibaba, in Isashi area of the state and stealing a raw material evaluated at N6.4m.
According to the report, Tunde was said to have escorted a truck containing 220 bags of the stolen raw material to the Mangoro, where they were sold. The suspects were arrested sometime in September 2016, three weeks after they attacked the company.
The Punch gathered that the robbery gang had told a security guard at the gate that they were directed by the manager to collect the raw material.
The guard reportedly insisted that they called the manager on the phone so he could confirm the directive.
When the robbers realised their ploy would not work, they reportedly resorted to force.
A police source reportedly said, “The case was reported at the Isashi Police Division and was later transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state command in Ikeja.
“The information we gathered showed that one Tunde, whom one of the suspects identified as a policeman, escorted the truck to where the chemical was sold.
“But investigation revealed that the said policeman was not aware it was stolen.”
Afolabi, who told the police that he was called into the operation by Adeoti, said he knew Tunde as a policeman in the Aboru area of the state.
The other suspect, Adeoti said they sold the chemical to an unidentified businessman who had a shop at the Mangoro area of Lagos, adding that he got N1.2m from the business.
Meanwhile, a police prosecutor, Inspector Benedict Aigbokhan, arraigned the suspects before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court on Friday, on two counts of armed robbery.
The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O. Olanipekun, did not take the plea of the defendants ordering that the case file be forwarded to the Directorate of the Public Prosecutions for advice.
The case was however adjourned till October 21 for legal advice.
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