Friday, 2 August 2013

‘I vowed to pay back police for sending me to jail over minor crime’ - Notorious robber speaks




A LEADER of a notorious robbery gang that had been terrorising Lagos and states in the South West, was Thursday arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS), Lagos. 

The Guardian gathered that the suspect, identified as Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka, ‘Abbey Godogodo’, met his waterloo when operatives of SARS who have been on his trail for a long time, ambushed him in his home at Egbeda area of Ibadan, Oyo state for three weeks before they finally got him, recovering two Ak47 rifles and 10 fully-loaded magazines.


The Guardian further gathered that ‘Godogodo’, as he is fondly called, was behind the July 7, 2013, gruesome murder of seven persons at O4 Hotel, in Ajah area of Lagos where his gang also killed the owner of the hotel, one Olanrewaju Subair.

They also went on to the kill two other security guards at a popular hotel, along Apapa Road, Ebute-Meta area of the state on the same day.  

Police sources said, Godogodo narrowly escaped arrest on July 14, 2013 when he and members of his gang engaged SARS operatives in a shoot-out along Eko Bridge, Lagos Island, after they killed two policemen at Ebute-Ero and Ajao Estate respectively.

Five members of his gang were reportedly gunned down during the encounter, while Godogodo who was said to often boast of his charms and two other gang members escaped alive.

A police source who spoke to The Guardian on the condition of anonymity described Godogodo as an armed robber in the South West who has coordinated several bank robberies in Kwara, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti and Osun states.  

According to him: “ He is the biggest and the most notorious armed robber we have in the South west in the past 14 years.  We arrested him 11.00am today in his mansion at Olowu area of Egbeda LGA Ibadan Oyo State and recovered two AK47 rifles and 10 loaded AK47 magazines in his house. Godogodo has killed over 50 policemen and many other civilians. His most recent activity was at Ajah, where he killed the owner of 04 Hotel and six others few weeks ago and two other policemen. He has also led several bank robberies in Kwara, Ogun, Oshun, Ekiti and Oyo states. We have been arresting many of his boys and recovered many rifles from them, but he kept on recruiting more to replace those arrested. Our officer, Abba Kyari changed his strategy and focused on him because without getting at him, his gang will continue to regenerate. This is a great victory to the Nigeria Police, Lagosians and South West in particular,” The source stated.

Meanwhile, when newsmen interviewed the the 36-year-old suspect, who is a native of Abeokuta, Ogun State, he confessed being a notorious armed robber but he said he had no regrets for his actions.

“ I started robbery in 1996 and in 1999 I was charged for fighting and I spent more than seven years in prison. My prolonged stay in prison for minor crime of fighting hardened me and I vowed to pay back the police for that injustice. After I was released I went to Katanguar, in Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos to meet my friend Odun, who was arrested by the police recently at O4 Hotel in Ajah.

“Odun was an armed robber then and we started operating. We worked with several other gangs and I invested loots of my money in arms buying. I also built five houses in Ifo, Ilaro, Ikorodu and Ibadan. I usually kill policemen and take their rifles because policemen have killed several of my boys and taken most of my rifles from them.”

“I have no regrets for all I have done,, I have no advice for young people who want to become armed robbers like me. I have three children from three women. The police should take all my property,” the suspect said.

The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Umar Manko has ordered for his treatment before he would be tried at the court.

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