Rilwan Wasiu an alleged robber was apprehended by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command on Thursday while beating up his girlfriend
The incident happened on Thursday under the Adeniji Adele Bridge where he was reportedly beating up his girlfriend.
Police who were on patrol around 10pm on Thursday were drawn to the noise of the scuffle between Wasiu and his lover.
The officers attempted to intervene when a toy gun reportedly fell from Wasiu’s body.
During interrogation Wasiu admitted to being a member of a three-man group who specialised in dispossessing stranded motorists of their valuables.
“The officers sighted him beating up his girlfriend by the roadside. They stopped to mediate in the dispute when a toy gun fell off his body.
“The suspect attempted to run away immediately the toy gun fell off, but he was promptly apprehended and taken to the RRS headquarters,” a statement by the RRS said.
Wasiu was said to have initially claimed that he picked the toy gun from where he was sleeping under the Adeniji Adele Bridge.
“I found it where I was sleeping. I picked it up to go and destroy it when I had the misunderstanding with my girlfriend,” he was quoted to have said.
The suspect reportedly later confessed to be a member of a robbery gang which dispossessed stranded motorists and passersby of their belongings around Adeniji Adele end of the Third Mainland Bridge.
Wasiu named two other suspects, Salami and Sakiru, who he had operated with at night after working as bus conductors during the day.
SP Chike Oti, the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, said the deployment of police officers by the Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, for patrolling the Third Mainland Bridge area had cut crime in that area.
He added that the police were on the trail of other members of the gang.
Oti noted that the suspect had been transferred to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad for further investigations.