Leader of the notorious ‘Awawaa Boys’ Tobi Akinbayo, also known as Scorpion, has been apprehended by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force.
Scorpion was nabbed on Tuesday alongside two others; Muyideen Olayinka and Ibrahim Olaniran, at Aluminium Village, Dopemu, Agege area of Lagos State.
While parading the three suspects, chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, confirmed that the activities of these notorious ‘Awawaa Boys’ have been given his agency and other State Security Services sleepless nights.
He said further that reported cases of r@pe, armed robbery and killing of innocent citizens by these ‘Awawaa Boys’ has become worrisome.
Egbeyemi disclosed that the agency received a lot of petitions about activities of Awawaa Boys and that he directed the surveillance until of their activities were closely monitors by operatives in different parts of the state which has greatly assisted in their arrest around Aluminium Village, Dopemu in Agege.
He confirmed that other terrorising group leaders who were at large includes one Paul a.k.a (Bouncing) leader of ‘Nokia Group’ and Habeeb a.k.a (Oluwa) of ‘Shita Boys’ who have killed, r@ped and robbed innocent citizens of their valuable properties around Aluminium Village, Dopemu, Agege.
Egbeyemi who disclosed further that he had widened the scope of the surveillance unit of the agency to cover other parts of the State where these notorious boys are terrorising innocent members of the public, however said all those arrested would be charged to court.
He appealed to members of the public to be vigilant about their immediate environment and to always report activities of any terrorising group to the Lagos State Task Force.
Scorpion, who lives at No. 10, Salako Street, Aluminium Village, Dopemu, confessed that he and his boys r@ped, burgled and killed innocent citizens who confronted them during any of their operations around Dopemu area.
He said, “We sell Indian hemp to commercial bus drivers and area boys around Dopemu and its environs”.
He confessed further that they forcefully molested one Miss Rufia Ogunbowale, the daughter of one Mrs Taiwo Iyabo, who lives at 26, Bello Street, Dopemu, Agege on the 5th of May, 2016 at about 12 noon.
The 28-year-old Scorpion, a native of Kuta-Ilegbo Town, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said that ‘Awawaa Boys’ is one umbrella and that they only have branches at different parts of the state and that he is the leader of the group that controls Dopemu and its environs.
President of the Aluminium and Accessories Association, Aluminium Village, Dopemu Branch, Biliaminu Oladimeji, disclosed that he and his members including residents around the area had lost several millions of Naira to activities of these ‘Awawaa Boys’ and other dangerous groups around the area.
He and his other executive members, while thanking Egbeyemi, confessed that they were very happy since the arrest were made and that other terrorising group members who have always been threatening them had vacated the area for fear of being arrested by men of the Lagos State Task Force.
He said different terrorising group leaders and their boys charged them between N1000 to N2000 per day as security levy and that any of their members who refuse to pay would have his stall or shop burgled over night.
Oladimeji finally said the boys burgled not less than 10 to 15 shops on monthly basis and that all reported cases to the nearest Nigerian Police Station at Dopemu did not deterred them as none of them could be arrested by the Police for fear of being attacked.
Ejike Okoronto, one of the Aluminium traders at No. 4 Bello Ajare Street, Dopemu Agege, disclosed that same Awawaa Boys invaded his shop on 23rd of March, 2016 and carted away Aluminium accessories worth N3 million over night.
While another trader, Mrs Bunmi Adeoye said ‘Awawaa Boys’ had used cutlass to cut off her finger when she resisted them from forcefully entering her shop for illegal security levies being charged without any government backing.
Meanwhile, a 12-year old Miss Rufia Ogunbowale who was r@ped, said Scorpion jumped through the fence to enter their room on that faithful day while her mother went to the market and tied her mouth with the scarf on her head and molested her, leaving her in a pool of blood after.
She said her mother who could not do anything because of fear of being attacked quickly took her to Abeokuta where she was treated and that since then she has been living in Abeokuta at her late father’s house.
According to Miss Rufia Ogunbowale, “Scorpion threatened to kill my mother if she dare report them to any security agencies including the Nigeria Police”.
Mrs Taiwo Iyabo, 46, of No 26, Bello Street, Dopemu, Agege the mother of the r@ped girl confessed that “truly they r@ped my daughter but as they threatened to kill me and other children if I should report to the Police, I quickly took her to her late father’s house at Abeokuta for local treatment and since then she has been staying there for the safety of her life”.
