We Recruit Armed Robbers From Ladipo Market

A 25-year old armed robbery suspect, John Sunday arrested by the police has confessed that most of robbery gangs operating in Lagos metropolis recruit their member from traders at

Ladipo Auto Spare parts market in Mushin, Lagos state, Southwest, Nigeria.

The suspect was arrested along with a gang member, Patrick Ifada by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) with guns and bullets at Festac Town during an operation.

The Enugu-born Sunday said that despite the fact that the market is known for spare parts dealings, some of the traders there are also involved in other criminal activities such as bank and highway robbery, car snatching among others.

He said he became involved because of the bad friends he had and wanted to confess so that God will forgive him and save him from his predicament.

He said when he came to Lagos, he started as a conductor but later his friend, Ifada convinced him to join armed robbery. He was introduced to different gangs in the market ranging from beginners to big time robbers.

He explained that beginners are those still learning to be robbers, while those known as in-between are those who had completed their training but do not have means to buy arms for operation.

And those who have assorted weapons and that they also rent to other robbers for operation are know as big time robbers popularly known as ” Ladipo Big Boys”.

He revealed that some of people at Ladipo market parading as traders are actually robbers, adding that, they only use the market as cover but at night embark on robbery operation.

He said not only is the market used for information dissemination, it also serves as take off base for robbers at night and other drug related dealings.

He revealed that there several take off axis which include Cemetery, Five Star and some axis that are accessible to Oshodi-Apapa expressway.

“Go there in the evening around 7:00 p.m. you will see people mainly criminals from different areas in Lagos, assemble at the market to plan and move for operation”

He said he regretted his decision to join robbery, lamenting that, it backfired shortly after he got married and his planning to settle down.

He revealed that he recently travelled to his home town in Enugu to marry and returned to Lagos to hassle before he was caught at Festac area by SARS.

“If I survive this, I will never go back to robbery and I do not know what to tell my new wife now, God forgive me,” he said.

Sunday and Ifada were paraded by the Lagos State Commissioner of police, Mr Kayode Aderanti on Wednesday after they were arrested with arms on their way to robbery operation.

They also confessed that there are other members of the group now at large.

Aderanti said the arrest of the suspects was part of the police readiness to rid and make Lagos a crime-free state.