Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a pastor, a medical practitioner and a musician for their alleged membership of a notorious armed robbery gang that has been terrorising banks in the South-West.
The gang was alleged to have killed three policemen last November during an attack on Access Bank, Ayobo in Lagos and others in Ondo and Ogun states.
The medical practitioner, Dr Tajudeen (surname withheld) said he joined the gang after he was sacked from the General Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos. His words: “The day I joined the armed robbery gang was when my younger brother introduced me to one Confidence, who in turn, took me to our leader, Fineboy.
“The first robbery operation was when I drove the gang to a filling station at the Okoko area of Lagos.The second was the First Bank robbery and the last one was the Access Bank robbery where we killed three policemen. We did not succeed because the police stormed the place and we fled but later laid ambush for the policemen.
“When my gang was firing at the police, I could not stand the noise of the gunshots; so, I took to my heels. I swear to God, as a medical doctor, I have never handled guns, it was because I had no money to renew my medical licence. I was looking for N250,000 to do the registration and I could not opt out as I was afraid of ‘Fineboy’ though he was later killed during a gun battle with the police.”
On his part, Pastor Isaiah (surname withheld) blamed the devil and greed for his woes. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.I am a man of God . I won’t tell you lies. I joined the gang when one Confidence ran to me for cover when he was declared wanted by the police. From assisting the man, he introduced me to the chairman, Fineboy. Fineboy now told me to provide my Honda bullet car for an operation as their vehicle was faulty. After the operation, he gave me N400,000 and I still drove them to First Bank robbery, where I got N300,000. We did not succeed in the Access Bank robbery and I was very sad when I read in the papers that three policemen were killed.
“I am a man of God and I preach the word of God; the Bible condemns all the vices that I involved myself in but greed and the devil made me to do it. Again, I was afraid to quit as Fineboy had warned that he would wipe out my family if I tried to quit.”
I am very happy that I have been liberated from armed robbery by this arrest but my fear is that my arrest will affect Christiandom as those who reposed their trust on me as a pastor, will be discouraged. But it is better I face the shame and go to heaven than to die and go to hell fire,” he said.
The musician, Jonathan said that he met the gang after one of his performances at the Apapa area. “I went to three different operations, including the Access Bank robbery where the policemen were killed. I got to know that three policemen were killed just last week. I fell sorry for our actions,” he stated.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko, who paraded the suspects yesterday at the Police Headquarters, Ikeja, said the suspects were members of a notorious gang that had terrorised banks in the South West.
He said the gang killed policemen and snatched their rifles.
Manko who praised the officer in charge of SARS, Abba Kyari and his decoy team for ending the dynasty of Fineboy who has been terrorising banks showcased I3 Ak 47 rifles,300 rounds of Ak 47 ammunition, magazines, gas cylinder, police walkie talkie and other ATM breaking tools and ATM machine recovered from the robbers.
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