Lagos Police command arrests armed robbers using police uniforms

Four armed robbers who specialize in robbing with police uniforms have been arrested and paraded by the Lagos state Police command. The four men named Julius George, Samuel Orgah, Lucky Oliseh and Lucky Friday were arrested by the police force at the Ile Zik area on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway on the 22nd of June Punch reports.

From their confessions, it was gathered that other operations carried out by the gang included robbing a trailer load of rice at Oju-Elegba area worth N4.5m and a tanker carrying engine oil worth N11m. They were arrested during the Ile Zik area operation, which was said to be their fourth operation, and involving about N8m. Continue...

Ring leader of the gang, 34 year old Julius George from Benue state who is married with children in his confessional statement said he led the other men into the act by deceiving them that he was a police man. He said he bought the police uniform materials in the market, made them into the uniforms and gave them to his gang members. 

"This was not the first time we would use police uniforms for robbery. In 2013, I was arrested by the police and charged to court. I was remanded for some time, but my family came and I was released on bail. Later, the court discharged me for want of evidence. While in remand at the Kirikiri Prisons, I met Sam (Orgah). When I came out of prisons, a friend of mine called Benjamin invited me again for another job. I was asked to escort a truck of engine oil from Apapa to Mushin, because they still regarded me as a policeman. They paid me N5,000 when they offloaded.” he said

33 year old Samuel Orgah who is also from Benue state said he was an imprisoned armed robber who took to his bad ways after he regained his freedom in 2011. For Oliseh Lucky from Delta state, he said he came in contact with the gang leader,  George, only three weeks before their arrest when George invited him for the N8m robbery in Ile Zik area.

Friday Lucky who says he is a clearing and forwarding agent working at a shipping company in Apapa Lagos said he met George three months ago at Iyana-Oba and had never engaged in armed robbery. He said he was only invited to help collect money for Friday and did not know he was an armed robber

“I have never gone on an operation with Mopol before. He only invited me to come with him to collect money. I did not know it was robbery,” he said.

The Lagos Police PRO Ngozi Baide says the State men are currently being investigated.