This is bizarre but true. A two-month -old girl was arrested
and paraded in lieu of her father who was suspected to be a dare-devil
robber. The mother was taken into custody along the toddler identified
as Oyinkansola. It happened in Ogun State.
Policemen stormed the residence of the alleged armed robber, Ismail
Adeosun, at Ago-Ika in Abeokuta North local government area and,
because they could not find the suspect, they arrested every Adeosun
available.
Oyinkansola was celebrated with wide media coverage, but in a grotesque manner.
Tongues are wagging over the propriety of the action of the police.
Many are asking what offence the baby committed to warrant the
treatment. .
Little Oyinkansola was among six suspects paraded by the Ogun State
Police Command at its headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, the state
capital, in connection with alleged armed robbery and murder cases which
have claimed the lives of no fewer than six people.
Justifying the action, the police said Oyinkansola's father, Ismail,
26, who was at large, was identified as the ring leader of an armed
robbery team.
The mother,Fausat, 19 , was said to be the armourer of the team,
Oyinkasola's uncle and aunt, Tobi Adeosun, 15, and Iyabode Adeosun
respectively, were also not spared as the whole family were cooling
their feet in police custody.
When challenged on the allegation leveled against her by the police,
Oyinkansola's mother denied the knowledge of her husband's robbery
business but said that he (Ismail) operated a film house in Igbo-Ora
area of Oyo State.
She told Sunday Vanguard that when she noticed that a gun was
brought to the house, her husband threatened to kill her if she informed
anybody about it.
"On Sunday, he came to me and I asked him whether he had removed his
gun from my house because we don't live together but he said he and his
friend, Danladi, were around to pick the gun, I never knew he was a
thief until he brought the gun to my house",she said.
"He asked me whether I had told anybody and even threatened to kill
me if I had informed anybody and that he will run away and leave me to
suffer on his behalf, but I told him I never informed anyone.
"Unfortunately, the police came on Monday and asked me about the gun
but I told them his brother had taken the gun away. That was how I was
arrested," she said.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that two other members of the gang, Danladi
Musa and Taiwo Muse, were arrested by the police when, according to the
state police commissioner, Ikemefuna Okoye, the police stormed the
residence of the suspects where locally made guns and other ammunition
were recovered.
Okoye explained that his men acted on information provided by a member of the
gang who had earlier been arrested and stormed the residence of the suspects where Oyinkansola and others were arrested.
The commissioner said investigation was on and that the suspects
would be charged to court upon completion of the investigation. "This
woman has been keeping gun for her husband and his 15- year- old brother
is also the armourer of the gang," he said.
Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, Ismail's younger brother, Tobi,
narrated that it was his brother who the police were looking for before
they arrested all the family members including the two months old baby.
But the police commissioner insisted that Tobi is the armourer of
the gang while Ismail's wife has also been keeping her husband's arms
and ammunition before luck ran out on them.
Tobi, who was allegedly arrested with some ammunition in his
possession,wassaid tohave confessed to the police that it was Ismail's
wife that had been keeping the gun for her husband, adding that he
was only brought to the scene to relocate the arms when the police
invaded the house. "It was his wife who has been helping him to watch
over his guns.
That day when the police came, his wife, Fausat,called me to hide the
gun behind a block beside the house, it was wrapped inside a cloth and,
when the police came, I told them everything and even took them to
where the gun was hidden,"he said.
"At first, I lied to the police because I was scared and I had never
experienced such, I never knew my brother was a thief until that day."
One of the two suspected members of the gang in police net, Danladi,
confessed his involvement in some robbery cases, while he further
narrated that no fewer than five people lost their lives during the
operations.
When asked how he was caught by the police, the suspect said it was
in the process of stealing a car in Sango area of Ogun State. He said
he was introduced into the business about a year ago.
"I am here because I stole a Golf car at Sango area of the state, I
am an armed robber, a friend introduced me to the work in January last
year",he said "I have mistakenly killed someone in the process of my
work, it wasn't my intention to kill the person but he was dragging
ammunition with me and i mistakenly fired the shot. It was the same
person who introduced me to the work that gave me the ammunition. His
name is Ismail but he is at large.
"I didn't know the person I killed but he was dragging the ammunition
with me, probably he thought the gun was empty. We were in the same car
in November last year when the incident happened. I have stolen about
five cars and the driver of our gang by name Abati was the one in charge
of the cars. I don't know where the cars are now but Abati has also
escaped."
The other member of the gang who was also nabbed by the police,
Taiwo, confessed that no fewer than five people had been killed during
the operations in which he participated.
He said that all his effort was because of N30, 000 promised by the
alleged gang leader, Ismail, that made him to join the group.
