Lagos RRS arrest teenage suspected to be member of notorious robbery group

Operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) today arrested 13-year-old Opeyemi Johnson who is believed to be a suspected member of the notorious Awawa cult group for robbery. Opeyemi, a Junior Secondary School (JSS) student, was arrested around Fagba in Agege this morning after he, alongside 20 others attacked some road users and dispossessed them of their belongings.‎ Other gang members fled as RRS men on patrol tried to catch them.

Luck however ran out on Opeyemi who was caught and later led the police to arrest another suspect, Mohammed Korede, 19.

When interrogated, Opeyemi said their leader, a certain ‘Ijaomode’ ordered them to rob anyone they saw on the road from the carnival. 

“I followed my cult members to carnival at Power Line, Agbado Crossing. On our way home, our Capol, nicknamed ‘Ijaomode’ instructed us to start robbing anybody we meet on our way. We robbed not less than 10 people before we got to Fagba Junction. At this point, we saw a young girl, (Naisha Akiomon) and immediately surrounded and collected all her belongings including phones and jewelry. She later went to bring RRS men who chased us and arrested me while my colleagues managed to escape. ‎ I was initiated into the group about a year ago. It was one brother whom I only know as Ola that introduced and forced me to join the group.

It was on a Sunday evening at Abattoir, Agege. Ola took me to one dark room and ordered me to kneel down. In that room, I met six other members already waiting for my arrival.‎ The cult leader, ‘Ijaomode’ blindfolded me with black clothe and all the six members descended on me. They gave me a thorough beating. After a while, they stopped. They gave me alligator pepper to chew and also an alcoholic drink to gulp it down. One of them stood up and he drew tattoo on my forehead and below my eyes as sign of being a bonafide member of the group. 

“Since that time, I have been going out with them for operations. I stopped going back home. I used to sleep in a shanty plank room at Abattoir. Initially, I did not know it would turn out to be this. Immediately I saw their way of life, I wanted to quit but they threatened to kill me if I dared,”he said.

When contacted, the state command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest.