Dismissed soldiers arrested for alleged armed robbery in Lagos.
- The Lagos Police command has arrested seven men around the Ijegun area of the city, whom it alleged specialise in robbing people in military uniforms.
According to the police, three of the arrested men were dismissed Nigerian army soldiers, two were dismissed from the navy and the other two were civilians.
The police said the men were arrested after they (the police) received multiple distress calls from residents of Ijegun.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, told journalists in Lagos on Monday that the men robbed a man of his Lexus RX330 car on February 18. He said the man was traveling from Ibadan to Ijegun when he was robbed.
The names of the seven dismissed soldiers are; Ndidi Oluchukwu, Owolabi Adeyemo, David Olufemi, Samuel Israel, Emeka Ibeh, Samuel Anochime, and Ebedot Stephen.
The police claimed it recovered 12 pairs of military camouflage uniforms and military ID cards from the suspects.
Other recovered items include; two cutlasses, ATM cards, jack knives, female pants and a local ring.
During the suspects parade, Ndidi Oluchukwu, a dismissed soldier said the pants in the police custody belongs to his wife and the police recovered it when he was arrested at his house.
Mr Oluchukwu was dismissed in 2015 after he was declared AWOL. “I took a pass in 2015 and went home but I felt sick when I got home, it took some time and I was dismissed.”
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He claimed he has been working as an escort for commuter buses since his dismissal where he earns N3, 500 per day.
Ebedot Stephen told journalists he was dismissed from the navy for being involved in illegal activities. He said he was dismissed for mediating in land issues and intervening in land matters on behalf of people.
When asked how he came in possession of army uniforms he said it was given to him by a commander.
The police claimed the suspects confessed to be responsible for series of robberies within Ijegun and its environs.
Mr Muazu further said that within the last month, the Lagos Police Command arrested 40 armed-robbery suspects, 29 suspects for cultism and 19 murder suspects murder.
He further said that 19 firearms and 51 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the suspects. He also added that 31 robbery attempts were also foiled by the police.
