The Ogun State Police Command, on Monday, said a robbery attempt was foiled in the Sagamu Area of the state on December 6, 2024, when the swift action by a surveillance team led to the arrest of two suspects and the rescue of their intended victim.
The command, in an exclusive statement to TheNigerian Metro, said the incident happened around 2:00 pm on December 10, when the policemen in Sagamu deployed to patrol the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway noticed a Golf 3 car being driven suspiciously near Danco Filling Station.
The command said as the vehicle sped past, a voice inside the car shouted, “Thief! Thief!”, drawing attention from the community.
The spokesperson for the command, Omolola Odutola, explained that the surveillance team quickly rushed to the scene, where the vehicle, still speeding, veered off the road and fell into a gutter.
She said, “As the car came to a halt, angry youths from the community gathered and descended on the two occupants, inflicting serious injuries on them before the police dispersed the crowd.
“The suspects, later identified as Michael Adegoke, 46, and Kingsley Christopher, 35, were beaten by the mob before the police arrived and rescued them. They were immediately taken to the Live-Well Hospital in Ajaka Sagamu for medical treatment.”
Odutola noted that the robbery attempt began in the afternoon when a 46-year-old victim, Arubi Godwin, 46, a POS operator from Asalam Petrol Station, was targeted by the gang.
She stated, “Godwin had boarded the Golf 3, a blue vehicle with registration number AGL 284 GV, around 1:00 PM, to travel to Sagamu for a bank deposit of N2.5 million. Unaware of the danger, Godwin joined four other passengers already inside the car, which was being driven by one of the robbers.
“As they drove towards Sagamu, the suspects revealed their true intentions, forcibly taking Godwin’s money. When they attempted to throw him out of the moving vehicle, he struggled with the steering wheel, causing the car to crash into the gutter. The car was severely damaged in the process, and the suspects were forced to flee.
“Two of the suspects, Adegoke and Christopher, were apprehended by the police and the mob. However, three others managed to escape. During questioning, the suspects confessed to being part of a larger ‘one-chance’ syndicate that had been operating along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for the past five years, robbing unsuspecting passengers.”
Odutola stated that preliminary investigations were underway adding that the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Abeokuta once completed.
She explained that the stolen vehicle was badly vandalised, and further inquiries were expected to reveal more details about the syndicate’s operations.
