Two armed robbery suspects identified as 40-year-old Abbey Kolawole and 30-year-old Ikenna Eze were apprehended by residents of Shagari Estate residents in Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos State on Friday November 22, after a failed car-snatching operation.
The members of Aiye and Eiye Confraternities accosted two occupants of the target vehicle with their gang leader Femi now at large. It was gathered that Femi who held the gun fired the first shot and attempted to fire a second shot at the car’s occupants who refused to alight, but the locally made double barrel gun hooked.
“By this time, the residents of the area had emerged to check what was happening. The robbers fled in different directions and abandoned their gun.
“Kolawole and Eze were unfortunate as the people they were scaling their fences caught them and handed them over to Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives who intercepted distress call of robbery in the area,” the police said.
Confessing to the crime, Eze told newsmen that Femi invited them to kill one of the occupants of the car who threatened him.
“The man came to Femi’s house in Agege Abbattoir with many cult members and threatened to kill Femi. So, Femi invited us to his house so that he would deal with the man first.
“The plan was to shoot the man in the leg but after firing the first shot into the air, the gun hooked and before he could reload it, residents came out and were moving towards us.
“Femi was the one who knew the road. He escaped while we, strangers in that community were arrested,” he said.
The suspects have been handed over to Gowon Police Station in Ipaja for prosecution.
