At 16, he escaped from home into the street to join other deviant teens on the streets of Ibadan. It was here he joined others in robbery, before migrating to Oshodi, Lagos.
Now 20, Ahmed Lateef had been convicted twice. He operates with different deadly gangs based in Mushin, Lagos.
He has lost count of the robbery operations he had participated in. “May God forgive me for all my sins. It is countless. I have robbed in Oyo, Ogun and Lagos. I started robbery in Ibadan before coming to Lagos,” he said.
“I have been involved in robbery of foreign currencies, jewellery, phones, laptops, motor cycles, tricycles etc. At least, I participate in robbery operations twice weekly with Enu-Ose.
Members of my gangs are: Esu-Erazor, Noah, Segun, Lekan, Ishan – Idi, Rilwan, Shile, Ikechukwu, Enu – Ose, Ege, Jandor, Koko, Bembella etc. We lodge in different hotels in Mushin paying between N3,500 to N7,000 daily per room”, he stated with tears rolling down from his eyes.
Ahmed Lateef, from Oshogbo, Osun State, before his arrest on Saturday morning in Oshodi when he was coming from a robbery operation in Kuto, Abeokuta, had been on wanted list of Lagos State Police Command along with two others for a robbery in Ejigbo around April, 2017.
In the Ejigbo robbery, Lateef alias Ajona, in company of three others, namely Esu – Erazor, Ikechukwu and Noah stole two tricycles and two motor bikes. Luckily, for Lateef and his gang, only Ikechukwu was arrested by Rapid Response Squad operatives.
Lateef’s latest operation was in Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State. They were led there by Enu – Ose, whose family house is in Lafenwa, Abeokuta.
Enu – Ose, Lateef, and Jandor, received mobilisation fees from two buyers of their stolen items and left Lagos for Abeokuta to burgle a computer and mobile phones outlet in Kuto. They hired a metal cutter, which they dismantled and kept in their bag.
They were about cutting the shop’s locks when they noticed a sleeping security man, who they felt would be awaken if they cut the locks, thus changing their plan.
Deterred by this and not wanting to come back to Lagos empty – handed, they broke into a motor cycle park and stole a Bajaj with the registration number, Ogun-MEK 339 WM. The gang slept in Lafenwa Abeokuta before returning to Lagos on Saturday morning.
It was in Oshodi, from their way in Abeokuta that RRS officers in Oshodi arrested Lateef while his two accomplices escaped.
In his confession to the police, Lateef stated that a member of his gang, Enu-Ose, an indigene of Abeokuta, provided information to the gang on the computer and phone retail outlet they planned to burgle.
He added that he led three other suspects to the Ejigbo robbery, where they carted away two tricycles and two motorcycles among other personal effects.
He stated that buyers of stolen items such as jewellery, laptops, phones, motorcycles and tricycles usually support them with funds whenever they are going on operations.
So far, three of his gang members and two buyers are in custody of the operatives while investigation is still continuing on the case.
