Mushin Crisis: Police Arrest 8, Recover Arms, Ammunition

When a 9-year-old Aminat Lateef was murdered in December 2010, during a violent clash between  factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the Mushin area of Lagos State, her parents and siblings thought they would never get justice for her death, against the backdrop of past experiences.
But the reverse is the case now, as operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS, following  a directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar,  who ordered a mop-up of  the entire Mushin area   of violence,  swooped on some factions of the NURTW who took part in the crisis in which several persons were either killed, maimed or kidnapped  while  many building and cars were destroyed during the clashes that  lasted almost three years.

Those arrested include: Lukmon Lawal, ‘’aka Oko’’,Monsuru Ibrahim, Ibrahim Sanni, Taye Fasina, Saheed Shittu, Fatai Babalola,  Omotosho Akande   and Lateef Akinpelu.

Crime Guard gathered that  Lawal, who described himself as leader of bandits and drug addict  operating in the Akala area of in Mushin, and  had been on the police wanted list for long,  was arrested when FSARS operatives arrested  three members of his gang at Awolowo  Market in Mushin  and  recovered  an AK 47 rifle and a pump action gun from  them.

The police, while interrogating the three suspects discovered that the AK 47 rifle was taken from a policeman who was attacked on Ikorodu Road and was badly injured by the gang. They also confessed that their guns and others were used during violent clashes in Mushin and in cases where they were no clash; the guns were used to rob residents.

Police sources told Crime Guard  that the hoodlums had financiers who sponsored their criminal activities,and they meet at Akala before attacking residents of Ereko, whom they branded as enemies. A top police source, who craved anonymity, told Crime Guard that  after the arrest of theses suspects, efforts were made by their sponsors to get them off police net.

“In fact,  several politians, including a senator made efforts to get them out.  But  over  20 persons had come out to identify these people as members of the gangs that attacked them Aminat Lateef’s father and those whose brothers, sisters or relations were either killed, maimed or kidnapped also came. We decided to act the moment we got the IG’s directive to clean-up the area of these miscreants.

Source: VANGUARD