I shot DPO to test gun — Robbery suspect

What on earth could have given a man the impetus to test a gun on a Divisional Police Officer, leading to the officer’s incapacitation? OLUWATOYIN MALIK reports the escapades and confession of Mutairu Were, a member of a dreaded robbery gang.

THE Osun State Police Command recently recorded a victory when it arrested an armed robber whose gang’s notoriety had depleted the number of policemen in the state. Not ony that, a service pistol belonging to a Divisional Police Officer, who was attacked by the gang and four AK 47 rifles collected at different times from policemen who were fatally shot, were also recovered.

The suspect, whose name is Mutairu Were, but who also bears Yekini Olanrewaju, was reportedly arrested after a robbery operation his gang carried out in a petrol station in Akure, Ondo State. They had shot at a police team trailing them, killing one Inspector and injuring three policemen. Were, who reportedly belonged to different robbery gangs, allegedly invaded the residence of a Divisional Police Officer in Osogbo on July 8 at about 12.25a.m. and collected his service pistol and AK 47 rifle, after which they shot him in the thigh and the abdomen. The police officer was still in the hospital as of the time of writing this report.

Same night at about 1.30 a.m., the gang also attacked the residence of one Tope Bolarinwa at Alekuwodo area of Osogbo. After collecting his valuables, the hoodlums allegedly shot Bolarinwa in the head, killing him instantly. The gang thereafter proceeded to Sarah Hotel at Ogo-Oluwas area, Osogbo, and dispossessed the lodgers of their valuables.

On July 22, the armed gang was on the rampage again as it stormed White Plain Suite Hotel at Ogo Oluwa area. During the attack, two policemen guarding the hotel were dispossessed of their AK 47 rifles. The gang also killed one Assistant Superintendent of Police and took away his AK 47 rifle as the criminals were escaping after raiding a bureau-de-change some months ago.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Mrs Sade Odoro, Mutairu Were and his gang had become a thorn in the flesh of the police in Osun State and his arrest had brought a sigh of relief to all the policemen. She added that four AK 47 rifles  and a service pistol were recovered from the gang by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in the state.

She reiterated that the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mrs Kalafite Adeyemi, would not relent in her efforts to rid the state of undesirable elements and make the “ember” months free for the residents. In order to achieve this, the PPRO said that the police commissioner had inaugurated a Police Religious Leaders’ Peace Forum and had also directed all Divisional Police Officers to ensure people-friendly policing to ensure water-tight security in their jurisdictions.

Odoro said efforts were on to apprehend other members of the gang who are at large.

Sunday Tribune had an interview with the suspect. Excerpts:

What is your name?
I am Mutairu Yekini. I am also called Olanrewaju but my father’s name is Were.

How old are you?
 I am 29 years old.

Which state are you from?
I am from Osogbo, Osun State

Are you married?
Yes, I am married with a child.

What is your level of education?
I went to Osogbo Grammar School but stopped at JSS1.

Which work have you been doing since then?
I started working in a bakery. After some time, I left the place and went to Lagos where I started working as a bus conductor but later became a driver.

When did you join a robbery gang?
It is not more than a year.

Who introduced you to robbery?
Muyideen introduced me to robbery but he is dead.

Was he killed during operation? 
No, I just learnt he was dead.

How did you meet Muyideen?
 I met him in Osogbo. I explained the problem I was going through to him and he said I would make it if I could join him in doing ‘runs’.

How many members are in your gang?
We are four.

Mention their names.
Myself, Dada Suako, Jimoh Iwaya and Luku Aresa.

How many guns do you take to operations?
Three small guns. The guns were procured for us by Jimoh Iwaya. It was he and Muyideen that used to get the guns and catridges. Usually, I didn’t handle guns. I was usually asked to drive because of my skill in driving. We also added guns collected from the police to the ones we had.

Which of your members handles the guns? 
Luku, Jimoh and myself but I drove mainly.

How many robbery operations have you been involved in?
We didn’t usually operate in Lagos; we went to Osogbo for our operations. We used to leave Lagos between 4p.m. and 5p.m. We would wait at Ibadan toll gate area sometimes to while away the time so that we would arrive in Osogbo during midnight.

Can you mention the places you have robbed before?
Luku was the one that would point to where we would operate in because he would have come before us to do surveillance.

Do you break into houses?
Yes. We use a cutter to cut the burglary so that we could gain entry. We would then rob the people of their belongings.

Can you recollect killing one of your victims called Tope Bolarinwa?
I was not the one who shot him. When we got to the house and I saw a car belonging to someone I knew, I decided not to enter with other members. I later heard a gunshot and peeped from the window to ask why he was shot. My members said that the man held one of them. I said they shouldn’t have shot him. Since then, I didn’t go on any operation with others until the latest one because that man’s death shocked me. He and his wife had a restaurant beside my brother’s shop and the couple were well known to me.

Were you the one who pointed the woman to your gang?
No, it was Luku who usually did the ground work.

Who shot a DPO on the day you went to rob him?
I was the one. It was not as if we intended to shoot him. We didn’t know he was a DPO. We met him sleeping but when we noticed his picture hung in his sitting room with him in police uniform, we asked him for his gun and he took us to where it was. I took the gun and shot him, unknown to me that it was already corked. I just wanted to scare him. We also took away his service pistol and AK 47 rifle. Both have been recovered from us.

What other operations did you do?
We went to a hotel called White Plain Suite. We met two policemen there and Dada shot them and we took away their AK 47 rifles. They have also been recovered from us.

Who owns the vehicle you used for operations?
We used to go in Dada’s car but I took my own to the last operation in Akure.

Which car did you use for your gang’s robbery operation at a bureau-de-change during which you shot some policemen along Gbongan road?
I was not part of that operation. I did not follow them but Jimoh was part of the operation and he told me that they collected a gun from a policeman whom they shot dead. I have told the police and they have recovered the gun too.

Did you get your car from robbery proceeds?
No, my siblings bought a bus for me but I sold it and added some money with which I purchased a Golf car.

Which operation did you do in Akure? 
We went to a petrol station in Akure to rob. It was one Alhaji who is Jimoh’s friend that took us there. I was only with him twice. The first time I met him was when we first got the AK 47 rifles and we didn’t know how to use it. He asked us to bring them. That was how he took us to Akure for the operation. We took two cars. Alhaji and an Akure man was in my own car while two others were in a Toyota Camry car. The owner of that car is from that area and he joined us for the operation. He went back, however, after the operation.

 We collected a lot of money out of which I was given N350,000. After we left the place, we were going on Ondo road when Alhaji noticed that the police were trailing us. They started pursuing us and we turned back. They also turned after us. That was how Alhaji shot at the patrol team with the AK 47 rifle. I hurriedly turned into a corner and lost control.

 We ran into the bush and hid there overnight. I was arrested when we flagged down an okada early in the morning in order to escape but Alhaji still managed to escape. My arrest was easy because I didn’t know the next town very well and I had my own share of money in my pocket.

Which other operation were you involved in?
We carried out two operations in Lagos. We went to Egbeda to operate. We followed a man into his compound at about 10p.m. Two of us got down and followed him to rob him of money and handsets. As we linked the road to Oshodi, we saw a man in a Honda Pilot. Alhaji said he wanted the vehicle and we snatched it from the owner. He asked me to take it to a buyer at Alakuko area. Jimoh and I also snatched a Toyota Camry called Muscle. Jimoh also knows the same buyer Alhaji sent me to and I took the the vehicle to him. I was only given N50,000. Alhaji said the buyer had not paid him fully.

What have you been able to get from operations?
The highest I got was that N350,000 in Akure. Before then, I was usually given N50,000, N100,000, depending on the decision of the leader. I used part of it to buy my Golf car and also rented an apartment at Olaogun along Opeilu via Ogbayan in Ogun State.

Why did you decide to always target policeman during your operations?
Since I have started robbery, I have never killed anyone. Even the police that I shot, it was not deliberate.

Does Alhaji have another robbery gang?
I don’t know much about him but I learnt he has been into armed robbery for a long time.

Does he know you have been arrested?
Yes, because both of us wanted to mount an okada when I was arrested.

Who prepares charm for you when you go on operations?
I don’t consult herbalists. I pray to God for protection and success whenever we wanted to go out.

Please, I don’t know where this may land me. I can’t even explain what has happened to me. I appeal to you to please beg the government not to kill me. I know I must suffer for my sins so I can’t go scot-free but I plead that my life be spared.