Lagos Robbery Crackdown: Police Arrest 3 Gang Members Linked to Violent Operations Across Oshodi-Apapa Corridor

EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Police Operation - How Community Tips Led to the Bust, With Rising Robbery Statistics in Lagos  

LAGOS – In a pre-dawn operation that lasted 4 hours, the Lagos State Police Command arrested three suspected armed robbers allegedly responsible for terrorizing residents along the busy Oshodi-Apapa expressway corridor. The arrests come amid a 27% spike in robbery cases reported across Lagos in Q1 2024, according to police data.  

The Operation: How It Went Down

Acting on weeks of surveillance and community tips, officers from the Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) raided a hideout near the Mile 2 Underbridge at 3:45 AM on Tuesday.  

Items Recovered:

✔️ Two locally-made pistols  

✔️ 18 rounds of live ammunition  

✔️ 4 stolen smartphones (including an iPhone 14 Pro)  

✔️ N387,500 in cash (suspected to be ransom money)  

✔️ A black Toyota Camry with plate number KJA 257 HH (reported stolen in Surulere)  

We tracked them through a POS transaction one victim made to the robbers’ account, revealed SP Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos Police Spokesperson, in an exclusive interview with InsightNews.  

The Suspects: Criminal Profiles  

1. Chinedu "Small Doctor" Okeke (28): Alleged gang leader, previously arrested in 2020 for cultism in Agege.  

2. Rasheed "Alhaji" Bello (32): Specialized in disabling tracking devices on stolen cars.  

3. Emmanuel "Emma Tear Rubber" Okafor (24): The gang’s getaway driver, known for dangerous high-speed escapes.  

A police insider disclosed:

They operated between 11 PM and 4 AM, targeting late-night businesspeople and Uber drivers. Their modus was to shoot tires first, then demand wallets and phones at gunpoint.  

Victim Account: "They Told Me to Pray Before Stealing My Car  

Mr. Adebayo Oluwaseun, a 34-year-old pharmacist robbed on March 12, shared his ordeal:  

They blocked my Corolla with okada bikes near Festac Link Bridge. The tall one (Chinedu) put a gun to my head and said ‘Oga, say your last prayer fast.’ I thought I would die."*  

Lagos Robbery Statistics (2024)

| Area          | Jan-Mar 2024 Cases | % Change vs 2023 |  

|---------------|-------------------|------------------|  

| Oshodi-Apapa  | 47                | +35% ▲           |  

| Surulere      | 29                | +12% ▲           |  

| Ikeja         | 18                | -5% ▼            |  

Source: Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF)  

Why This Matters: The Bigger Picture

Security expert Dr. Ngozi Adeleke of the Lagos Urban Safety Initiative warns:  

These arrests expose a larger problem—unemployment is pushing youths into crime. 68% of robbery suspects arrested this year had no prior criminal records before 2023.

5 Safety Tips from the Police: 

1. Avoid counting money in your car (robbers watch bank ATM areas)  

2. Install vehicle trackers with disable alerts (like Cartrack’s anti-hijack feature)  

3. If confronted, comply first—then report immediately to #LagosPolice  

4. Join your area’s Neighborhood Watch WhatsApp groups share real-time alerts)  

5. Always check your fuel gauge—robbers target stranded-looking drivers  

What Happens Next?  

The suspects will be arraigned at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja under:  

Section 1(2) of the Robbery and Firearms Act (Mandatory death penalty if convicted)  

Section 6 of the Lagos State Anti-Cultism Law

Local Reactions

✔️ Police should patrol more at night - Mrs. Bello, Mile 2 resident  

❌ They’ll be out on bail next week - Anonymous commercial driver