The Lagos State Police Command has arrested the suspected most wanted leader of Awawa cult group in Agege area of the state, Toby (aka Scorpion). Also in the police net were 40 suspected armed robbery suspects.
The CP said:
“Within the last month, the Command arrested 40 armed robbery suspects, 29 suspects for cultism, and 19 suspects for murder. 19 firearms and 51 live ammunition were recovered while 31 armed robbery attempts were foiled by the command.
Giving insight on how the suspected cult leader, Scorpion was arrested, Commissioner of Police CP Zubairu Muazu, said, Scorpion had been declared wanted by the police for over a long period of time, for murder, robbery and cult-related vices.
Muazu, who paraded suspected criminals at the State Command Headquarters, Ikeja, said that on September 21, operatives of Operation Crush attached to Area G Police Command, Ogba, arrested Toby known in the underworld as Scorpion.
“He is the number one in the hierarchy of Awawa Boys. His strongholds are Agege, Dopemu, Elere, Ijaye-Ojokoro, Alakuko, Pen-Cinema, Abattoir, Iju and Oko-Oba. He is the most dreaded in the hierarchy of cult leaders. His gang was responsible for a series of violent crimes and social disorders in the areas earlier mentioned.
Two other members of his gang, Balogun and Dolapo were also arrested. Also in police net were seven dismissed Soldiers for allegedly using military uniform and accoutrements during robbery operations in the state. Muazu said the dismissed servicemen would hijack their victims at gunpoint claiming to be a member of “Ops MESSA”.
He said the suspects would order their victims to drive to lonely areas where they would order the victims out of the cars at gunpoint, robbed them and later zoom off with their cars. He said the gang members have admitted, that they belonged to a gang of robbers terrorising residents of the State.
Muazu said those arrested were: Oluchukwu, 30, Adeyemo, 42, Olufemi, 47, Iseyin Samuel Isreal, 41, Ibeh, 29, Anochime, 36, and Ebedot, 27. He said that the command would soon come up with an operational order that would be applied for the Christmas and New year celebrations.
” I want to assure residents of Lagos that the operational order would give hoodlums sleepless nights as we are going to raid flashpoints and every nook and crannies of the State. We will involve other sister agencies in the war against crime and criminality “
Let me therefore use this medium to appreciate Lagosians for their support to the Command in terms of providing us with credible information on criminal activities. And to all the media houses in Lagos, we say thank you. Together we will continue to make Lagos state safe.
