The operatives of the Lagos State Command’s Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Oshodi and CMS area of the metropolis detained a traffic robber who swallowed the wedding ring of his victim after threatening to kill her.
Also detained were three other suspected traffic robbers.
The ring swallowing suspect, Taofeek Adebayo, 19, was arrested in Oshodi-Oke shortly after dispossessing two ladies occupying a gray Sienna bus with a gold earring and a set of marriage rings along with an accomplice, Toheeb Tijani, 20.
The other two suspects, 20-year-old Samson Oluwa and 22-year-old Michael Adamu, were detained in CMS during an all-night sting operation.
On Friday, Mr Adebayo and his associates pleaded with two females in a Siena to help them with food cash. The two women extended to them an N100 note, which was immediately rejected by the suspects.
According to the Sienna driver who requested not to be named, “My friend and I came from Anthony and headed to Ilasa for the meeting of our association. Three of them (pointing at the suspects) came close our car. There was traffic and we could turn around anywhere. We were frightened. They said we were supposed to offer them cash for food. I went to my colleague to give me cash.
“She gave me the N100 that I gave them. They have rejected it. One of them said,” eleyi ki I se owo ti wa. “I informed them that’s what I got. One of them pulled my left ear and removed the earring.”
“Two of them switched to the other side of my car,” she continued. If we don’t offer them cash, they threatened to waste us. ‘ Where the cash is, ‘ they shouted at us. They compelled my friend to abandon her wedding ring in a rush to leave our vehicle.
“This yellow man (pointing to Adebayo) took the first one and swallowed it in our presence. His friend took the other.
Mr Adebayo said when interrogated, “I swallowed it but I vomited it and handed it over to Young Boy which is the third man when the police chased us. I advised him to hand the rings over to the women so we could be released by the police, but he got rid of the two rings and earring.”
His accomplice, Toheed Tijani, who sources said he was on police watchlist for snatching a mobile phone from a traffic commuter earlier in the day, said,’ I released the phone to LASTMA officials in Oshodi Oke. They informed me they were looking for me to be arrested by RRS policemen.
Around Friday midnight, the other two suspected traffic thieves were detained when they robbed a stranded motorist around CMS, Lagos.
Police Commissioner Muazu Zubairu, commenting on the growth, said the police would not relent in their attempts to make Lagos safe for law-abiding people. He directed the suspects to be transferred to the Police Division of Makinde, Oshodi and SCID, Yaba.
