A police sergeant, identified as Yusuf Bello, and an accomplice, Idowu Badmus, have been detained by the police in Lagos State for allegedly snatching motorcycles and selling them in the Iyana Iba area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Bello, who is attached to the Itire Police Division, was arrested on Monday by the Igando Police Division after a victim, identified only as Aramide, reported that he was robbed of his motorcycle at Iyana School bus stop on the Lagos State University-Iyana Iba Road.
Aramide had reportedly identified his motorcycle among the three recovered by the police.Our correspondent gathered that the police had recovered three stolen motorcycles from the sergeant and his accomplice, while the buyer and a motor mechanic had also been detained.
Our correspondent learnt that on Sunday at about 1pm, the sergeant, who wore a black police T-shirt, and his accomplice, Badmus, who was in mufti, had accosted Aramide, at the Iyana School bus stop.
The suspects, who also came on a motorcycle, were said to have slapped Aramide, and ordered him to come down from the motorcycle.
Badmus was said to have displayed a police ID card and a pair of handcuffs.
The two allegedly told Aramide that they were from the Iba Police Division, adding that they were taking his motorcycle into the police station.
PUNCH Metro learnt that when Aramide came down, one of the two suspects started the motorcycle and rode off, while the other followed him on the motorcycle they brought.
The suspects were said to have escaped with the motorcycles instead of riding it into the Iba Police Division, where they claimed to have come from.
Aramide was said to have reported the matter at the Iba and Igando police divisions, after which he boarded a motorcycle to trace the suspects.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Badmus was, however, arrested on Sunday on Makinde Close, Ile Epo bus stop on LASU-Iyana Iba Road, while allegedly returning from another operation.
A landlord on Makinde Close, who did not want his name in print, said it was residents who arrested Badmus, and handed him over to the police at Igando.
He added that the arrest of Badmus led to the sergeant’s arrest on Monday.
He said, “I was in front of my house around 4pm. I saw a man riding a motorcycle into our close being followed by another man on a motorcycle who was shouting, ‘help help, thief, thief.’ That got everyone’s attention.
“When we stopped both motorcycles, the man, who gave his name as Idowu (Badmus) showed us an ID card, saying he was a policeman from the Ikotun division. He said he seized the motorcycle from the man at Iyana Iba.
“So, I asked him how his jurisdiction got to Iyana Iba from Ikotun. We took all of them in a car to the Ikotun division. It was at Ikotun that he was discovered to be a fake policeman and the police arrested him and transferred him to Igando.
“When they interviewed him, he confessed to have snatched about three motorcycles and identified a police sergeant in Itire as his accomplice. That was how the sergeant was arrested on Monday. We heard that there are some fake policemen working with real policemen to perpetuate crimes on the LASU-Iyana Iba Road. The police should investigate them.”
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, one of the victims, Aramide, said, “Around 1pm, I took a lady from Iyana Iba to Adolf, near Iyana School bus stop. While I was waiting to take her back in front of a pharmacy, two men on a motorcycle stopped in front of my motorcycle.
“One of them showed me a police ID card and the other slapped me. They asked me to stand up from the motorcycle. They said they were from the Iba division and they were taking it to the station.
“Immediately I got down from the motorcycle, one of them jumped it and zoomed off, while the other followed on the motorcycle they brought. They did not go to the Iba station. I was shouting, ‘thief thief’ but no one could help.
“I took a motorcycle to Obadore junction, but I could not find them. I went to my house in Akesan.”
Aramide said it was in the evening that he learnt that a suspected motorcycle snatcher was arrested and had been taken to the Igando division, adding that he went there and saw that it was Badmus.
A police source told PUNCH Metro that the suspects tampered with the motorcycles they snatched before selling them.
He said, “The suspects had removed the number plates and plastic covers of the recovered motorcycles. Badmus confessed that he usually worked with Bello, a sergeant in Itire division.”
The Lagos State Deputy police Public Relations Officer, DSP Damasus Ozoani, confirmed Badmus’ arrest.
He added that the suspect mentioned a policeman as his accomplice.
“The complaint was made against Badmus and three motorcycles were recovered from him.
“The suspect named a policeman as his accomplice. Investigation is ongoing.” – Punch.
