Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two suspected members of a notorious ‘one chance’ robbery syndicate during a stop-and-search operation in Iyana Ipaja.
According to a statement released on Monday, officers intercepted a tricycle carrying three occupants along Iyana Ipaja Road for routine inspection. During the search, one passenger was found with three android phones believed to have been stolen from robbery victims.
Police said the tricycle rider fled the scene when the search began, abandoning the other two occupants. One suspect, later identified as Ademola Ibrahim, was arrested immediately. Under interrogation, he confessed to being part of a gang that targets commuters in Idimu, Iyana Ipaja, Egbeda, and Dopemu, stealing valuables, especially mobile phones.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being a member of a robbery syndicate popularly known as ‘one chance’ which specialises in dispossessing unsuspecting commuters of their valuables, particularly mobile phones, along Idimu, Iyana-Ipaja, Egbeda and Dopemu areas of the State,” the statement read.
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Further investigation led officers to arrest the fleeing tricycle rider, 26-year-old Raheem Lawal. Police also recovered the tricycle with registration number SMK 309 QP, which was allegedly used for the operations.
Two victims who had earlier reported separate ‘one chance’ robberies in the area positively identified the suspects and confirmed the recovered phones as their stolen property.
The command said efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate. Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai reiterated the command’s commitment to intelligence-driven policing and urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities through the command’s emergency lines.
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