EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Police Operation - How Community Tips Led to the Bust, With Rising Robbery Statistics in Lagos
The Operation: How It Went Down
Acting on weeks of surveillance and community tips, officers from the Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) raided a hideout near the Mile 2 Underbridge at 3:45 AM on Tuesday.
Items Recovered:
✔️ Two locally-made pistols
✔️ 18 rounds of live ammunition
✔️ 4 stolen smartphones (including an iPhone 14 Pro)
✔️ N387,500 in cash (suspected to be ransom money)
✔️ A black Toyota Camry with plate number KJA 257 HH (reported stolen in Surulere)
We tracked them through a POS transaction one victim made to the robbers’ account, revealed SP Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos Police Spokesperson, in an exclusive interview with InsightNews.
The Suspects: Criminal Profiles
1. Chinedu "Small Doctor" Okeke (28): Alleged gang leader, previously arrested in 2020 for cultism in Agege.
2. Rasheed "Alhaji" Bello (32): Specialized in disabling tracking devices on stolen cars.
3. Emmanuel "Emma Tear Rubber" Okafor (24): The gang’s getaway driver, known for dangerous high-speed escapes.
A police insider disclosed:
They operated between 11 PM and 4 AM, targeting late-night businesspeople and Uber drivers. Their modus was to shoot tires first, then demand wallets and phones at gunpoint.
Victim Account: "They Told Me to Pray Before Stealing My Car
Mr. Adebayo Oluwaseun, a 34-year-old pharmacist robbed on March 12, shared his ordeal:
They blocked my Corolla with okada bikes near Festac Link Bridge. The tall one (Chinedu) put a gun to my head and said ‘Oga, say your last prayer fast.’ I thought I would die."*
Lagos Robbery Statistics (2024)
| Area | Jan-Mar 2024 Cases | % Change vs 2023 |
|---------------|-------------------|------------------|
| Oshodi-Apapa | 47 | +35% ▲ |
| Surulere | 29 | +12% ▲ |
| Ikeja | 18 | -5% ▼ |
Source: Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF)
Why This Matters: The Bigger Picture
Security expert Dr. Ngozi Adeleke of the Lagos Urban Safety Initiative warns:
These arrests expose a larger problem—unemployment is pushing youths into crime. 68% of robbery suspects arrested this year had no prior criminal records before 2023.
1. Avoid counting money in your car (robbers watch bank ATM areas)
2. Install vehicle trackers with disable alerts (like Cartrack’s anti-hijack feature)
3. If confronted, comply first—then report immediately to #LagosPolice
4. Join your area’s Neighborhood Watch WhatsApp groups share real-time alerts)
5. Always check your fuel gauge—robbers target stranded-looking drivers
What Happens Next?
The suspects will be arraigned at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja under:
Section 1(2) of the Robbery and Firearms Act (Mandatory death penalty if convicted)
Section 6 of the Lagos State Anti-Cultism Law
Local Reactions
✔️ Police should patrol more at night - Mrs. Bello, Mile 2 resident
❌ They’ll be out on bail next week - Anonymous commercial driver