UPDATE On Lagos Airport Robbers: I made N45m from the airport robbery – Suspect

*Pastor, six others arrested over robbery attack at Murtala Muhammed
International Airport
*I administered oath on them before operation — Pastor
SEVEN suspected members of a robbery gang that attacked the Murtala
Muhammed International Airport, MMIA,Lagos, last month, killing two
policemen and injuring several others, have been arrested by
operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad , Ikeja, Lagos.
Surprisingly, one of the suspects was discovered to be the general
overseer of The way of Joy church located in Egbe area of Lagos.
Parading the suspects before newsmen yesterday, at the Command's
headquarters, Ikeja, the command's boss, Mr Umar Manko, disclosed that
they (suspects) were arrested following information obtained from the
document of a member of the gang who was shot dead during the exchange
of fire with the deceased policemen.
Operatives from SARs, led by the commander, Abba Kyari , he said,
swung into action during which Pastor Ibikunle Olarewaju John was
arrested in Egbe area. His confessional statement, Manko said, led to
the arrest of six other members of the gang in Ikire, Osun, Ondo, Oyo
and Ogun states, with the recovery of five AK 47 rifles, four
dynamites, two locally-made pistols, sixty-four AK 47 riffles
magazines, all loaded with 1920 live ammunition, a Toyota Sienna bus
with an in-built space where the gang concealed its arms and
ammunition.
Also recovered, were two masks and several charms buried in an iron
box in the gang's hideout inside a forest at Agoro village in
Odogbolu local government area of Ogun state.
" The suspects confessed to the armed robbery at the MMIA and several
other deadly robberies in Lagos, Ondo and Kwara states. Part of the
robberies they confessed to, were; the Oro First bank/Union bank
robbery in Kwara statein January 2013; First bank/WEMA bank armed
robbery in Osun state in December 2012 and the bullion van armed
robbery attack at Odogbolu junction along Lagos/Ijebu-Ode expressway
in January 2013. They also confessed to the robbery attack at the MMIA
in February 2012, where about N600 million was carted away.
"The armed robbers involved in the airport robbery of February 2012,
where N600 million was robbed and the March13, 2013 MMIA robbery
include Teslim Okunola now late, Kazeem Aderibigbe (the middle man
that linked the armed robbers with the informant), Ibrahim Abdullai
(main informant), Emmanuel Ehianeta (who earlier met his waterloo in
the hands of operatives of SARS, during a gun battle in October
2012,during which12 AK 47 rifles , one Pump action magazine and
several ammunition were recovered) ; Christian Joshua (from whom one
Fiat Space bus with registration number AKD 791 BD, modified to carry
rifles was recovered); Saheed Adekunle , Fasasi Jamiu, Ifeanyi
Douglas(still at large) Felix Sunday (still at large) Asiwaju (still
at large) and Shina Aremu a.ka. China (still at large)".
During interaction with Crime Alert, the suspects said the policemen
were shot dead out of frustration, over their inability to get their
target. The robbers as gathered, missed their target that fateful day
as they were held up in traffic. They regretted that but for the
traffic they would have realised about N1 Billion from the foiled
operation.
I administered oath on them before they went for operation— Pastor
One of the suspects, Ibikunle John, discovered to be the General
Overseer of The Way of Joy church located on Alliu street, Egbe,Lagos,
told Crime Alert that on the day of the operation,(March 13, 2013) he
administered an oath of secrecy on members of the gang before they
left.
The oath according to him, was administered in the gang's hideout
inside a bush located around Odogbolu area of Ogun state.
Hear him, " Yes. I am the one that administered an oath on them the
day they went to work. I waited for them in the bush until they came
back. In the bush located in Ijebu-Ode, there is a hut where one can
even sleep if one wishes. But no one person can come there, except he
is a member of the gang.
Asked to describe how the oath was administered, he replied: "You
won't understand because it is a spiritual thing, as incantation
was said into a horn."
Also asked if he owned a church of his own, he replied: "Yes. I am
the general overseer. It started as a Spiritual Healing Church where
God used me to heal people with diverse strange illnesses."

Report by: Evelyn Usman & Ifeanyi Okolie

Source: Vanguard