The Lagos state Police Command has arrested and paraded four robbery suspects who confessed to always faking street fights to attack hotels and its guests in the state.
The robbery suspects
Four suspected armed robbers who fake street fights to attack hotels in the state, has been arrested and paraded on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Lagos state Police Command.
The suspects which includes; Fuad Azeez (25), Rahmon Sanusi (25), Kareem Idris (22), Muftau Jinadu (22), and other members of their gang, now at large, usually split themselves into groups.
While some posed as guests in the hotel reception, others will cause a scene outside the hotel which will attract the workers or lodgers before they swoop on lodgers, to rob them.
Fatai Owoseni, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who paraded the suspects before newsmen, said the robbers, suspected to be cult members belonging to Eiye Confraternity, were arrested on Tuesday.
"The suspects are also cultists who used to carry out series of fight at Oyingbo and its environs. Recovered from them are one locally-made pistol, two live cartridges, machetes and assorted charms," Owoseni said.
The suspects confessed to have robbed and killed someone at Evans Square and also attacked One Point Hotel, Moonshine Hotel and Minister Excellence Hotel all in Ebute-Meta area.
Idris, who is the kingpin of the gang, said that they intentionally caused street fight in order to destabilize the peace of the community, adding that once they had caused street fights, during the created panic and confusion, they would invade and rob hotels, as guests in such hotels were never spared as the gang would dispossess them of all their valuables.
"We used machetes and locally-made guns for operations. After robbing the hotels, we have buyers always ready to buy the items we stole from guests in the hotels.
"Normally, we don’t harm the guests, but when they don’t cooperate, we hit them. Today, as I stand here, I regret my actions. Given another chance, I will not go back to robbery," Idris sobbed.