Police seize rocket launchers, grenades from ‘bank robbers’

•The recovered ammunition

Two rocket launchers, a grenade and a General Multipurpose Machine Gun (GMP) were among the arms recovered from a robbery gang specialising in bank raids by operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Adeniji-Adele, Lagos.
 Other items recovered from the gang, whose kingpins are helping the police in their investigation include eight Ak 47 rifles, 189 Ak 47 magazines, two rocket heads, 554 rounds of ammunition, nine chain bullets and 5, 554 live ammunition.
The suspects are believed to be behind the major bank raids in Ogun and other Southwest states.
The arms were allegedly hidden in “Ghana-Must-Go’ sacks stuffed in refridgerators at a workshop belonging to one of the suspects at Erelu Imodi-Mosan Road in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
The suspects were not paraded due to the order of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, banning such.
The police in FSARS were led to the “robbers’ armoury” by two of the suspects, who were arrested in Ikorodu, a Lagos surburb.
While searching the house of one of the suspects, identified as Nurudeen, the police recovered N2.3 million.
He told detectives that the money was his share of their escapades at three new generation banks in Offa, Kwara State.
The nine vehicles recovered from them are being kept in police custody.
Some FSARS detectives who took part in the operation said the robber’s last operation was on March 21.
They said: “Their last robbery was on 21st of March when they robbed many banks at the same time in Ogun State. The nine vehicles we recovered from them are in our custody. 
“We have arrested five of the suspects connected to the gang. One of them, their leader, one Michael Oduga (aka Igwe died during a gun duel with our men. The dead suspect who is from Kwale, Delta State, grew up in Ijebu-Ode. 
“They have confessed to have carried out major bank robberies in Ogun State. We are still investigating the matter and would soon take them to court.”
The Commissioner of Police in charge of FSARS, Mr. Abdulahi Yuguda, said his command was out to prosecute the Inspector General’s agenda on zero tolerance to crime and criminality.
“We are not relenting in our efforts. Armed robbers, wherever they are hiding, should know that we will get them. The Inspector-General has given us a mandate and we are committed to it,” Yuguda said.