Posted on: 10:25 Tue, 11 Oct 2016



The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six suspected members of the robbery gang that shot Segun Abayomi, a presenter of an independent programme on the Lagos Television, LTV, three weeks ago at Acme Road, Ogba area of Lagos.

The father of three was said to have been confirmed dead on arrival at a private hospital, where he was rushed to.

Late Abayomi, who was in the company of other journalists, was returning home after the production of his programme, when he was intercepted at 2a.m. by the robbery gang.

The suspects, who were paraded among other suspected criminals at the command’s headquarters, admitted to have carried out the operation but stated that they were not aware he was a journalist.

One of them, Taiwo Badmus, a bricklayer who claimed he joined the gang last year, said that their plan was not to kill anyone, but to collect the car and sell it to a waiting buyer.

According to Badmus, “on that day, we shot the man because he was struggling with us. I was not the one that shot him, Damy did. But Damy is not here now.

“We were driving along Acme Road when we blocked the man’s car. I can’t remember the type of car now because it was dark. Instead of him to cooperate, he was stubborn and Damy shot him on the head.

“We started shouting at him for shooting because that was not part of what we discussed.

The situation changed our plan because we wanted to collect the car and sell to a man who was waiting for us at a mechanic workshop.

“We immediately left the scene, the man and the vehicle and went back to our base at Agege to arrange ourselves for another operation.

“Since I joined them last year, at times I got N10,000 and at other times N20,000, including phones and laptops from each operation. I use the money to feed myself. I am an orphan.”

The suspects, according to the command’s boss, Fatai Owoseni, would soon be charged to court.