The Ogun State Police Command has issued a public warning about a notorious one-chance gang operating along the Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, and Mowe Expressway.
The alert was made by the command’s spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, late Wednesday.
Odutola revealed that the command had received numerous complaints from residents about the gang’s criminal activities.
One recent incident involved a victim who was robbed at gunpoint after boarding a vehicle at Kajola.
The victim was forced to transfer N700,000 to the gang via a POS machine before being driven into a street and left stranded.
The spokesperson advised commuters to exercise caution when travelling along the route, particularly urging them to record and send videos of their trips to the police if they have doubts about the vehicle they have boarded.
She also warned traders and business owners against travelling with large sums of money.
“The Ogun State Police Command has been inundated with complaints about a notorious gang operating within the Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, and Mowe axis,” Odutola said.
“Commuters on that route should make a video of their next trip and upload it to police media if in doubt about the vehicle. Please alert traders and business owners not to risk travelling with huge cash.”
The police have launched an investigation into the incident.
This recent wave of criminal activity follows the March arrest of two members of a four-man ‘one chance’ gang by Ogun State Police operatives.
The suspects, Aliu Oyetola and Seyi Afolabi, were apprehended while attempting to flee during a routine patrol by police near Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area.
The two men were part of a gang that had been terrorising residents of Sango Ota and its environs.
They were caught after a victim reported being robbed of over N320,000 by the gang after boarding a Toyota Corolla taxi at Ijako Market on March 23, 2024.
Acting on the report, the Sango Ota Division DPO ordered surveillance teams to track the perpetrators.
The suspects were eventually apprehended on March 28, 2024, after their vehicle, a Toyota Corolla with the number plate GGE 659 FR, was identified by police.
The suspects have since made confessional statements, providing information that could lead to the arrest of the remaining gang members.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alamutu, has ordered the transfer of the suspects to the anti-robbery department of the State Criminal Investigation Department for a thorough investigation and prosecution.
