A robbery suspected arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command, said he was given N8, 000 after every operation.
The suspect, Timileyin Adebayo, 23, and his gang specialised in robbing people in tricycles, Police said.
According to the police, Adebayo, in the company of three other suspects, had on July 12, 2019, while pretending to be passengers in a tricycle, used knives and cutlass to dispossess a lady of her belongings.
In his confession to the police, Adebayo said they rob between Coca Cola and Ogba and Ikeja to Ogba with knives and cutlass to collect phones and belongings of victims.
The operation, which led to his arrest was his fifth, he said.
“The operation was my fifth robbery with the gang. I joined them this July and for each of the operation, they gave me N8,000 only.
“No matter what we made, that is what they gave me. Maybe, because I just joined the gang. They don’t treat me as one of them at all.”
Adebayo, who claimed to be a former bus conductor, said he joined the gang to replace a former member.
A popular television presenter, who pleaded anonymity, said she was robbed by the gang at about 10 p.m. at Coca Cola Bus Stop, Ikeja, on July 12, when she boarded a tricycle.
“They were all men, I didn’t suspect anything because there were other ‘Keke’ there. I noticed that as soon as the driver linked Wempco Road, the two passengers at the back and the one sitting down in front brought out knives and cutlass and threatened to kill me if I did not cooperate with them,” she said.
According to her, two phones, jewelry and some money were taken from her before she was pushed out of the speeding tricycle.
“I was struggling to get up to avoid oncoming vehicles from hitting me, one bike man assisted me and we trailed the robbers. We caught up with them on Akilo Road, and unfortunately for us, they used their ‘keke’ to hit us.
“This was the point RRS patrol team saw us and chased the robbers. They abandoned their ‘keke’ and fled in different directions but they got that one (pointing to the suspect).”
Recovered from the robbers were a tricycle and a dagger.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Muazu, has directed the transfer of the case to State CID office and ordered the immediate arrest of other members of the gang.