Members of a three-man syndicate accused of drugging and robbing a Lagos-based journalist, Mr. Abayomi Ajiboye, were arraigned on Monday at the Customary Court in Ejigbo. The suspects were charged with felony and theft following their alleged attack on Ajiboye on August 22, 2024.
The court, after hearing the charges, ordered the suspects to be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case until October 23 for further proceedings.
Mr. Ajiboye, a journalist with Newsbustang.com, an online TV platform, recounted his harrowing experience in which he was drugged and robbed while traveling from Oshodi to Isheri-Oshun in Lagos. According to his account, he boarded a commercial bus at Oshodi around 5:00 PM and was enjoying a snack of roasted corn and pear when he was approached by one of the gang members.
The suspect, posing as a fellow passenger, offered Ajiboye a sachet of water, which he accepted. Shortly after drinking the water, Ajiboye began to feel dizzy and disoriented. As the bus approached Jakande Gate at Oke-Afa Isolo, another gang member, identified as Ronald Eyam, borrowed Ajiboye’s Samsung Note10+ phone under the pretense of making a call. Ajiboye was too incapacitated to retrieve his phone as the bus reached his stop.
Upon disembarking, Ajiboye realized that the three suspects, who had exited the bus with him, were trying to steal a half bag of rice he was carrying. In his disoriented state, he managed to alert a passerby, who called officers from the Isheri-Oshun Divisional Police Station. The police arrived quickly and apprehended the suspects.
During the investigation, one of the suspects, Uche Mathew, confessed that the gang had traveled from the Maza-Maza and Alaba Rago areas of Lagos with the intent to commit the crime. The case was transferred to the CP Tactical Squad Ijegun Annex, led by SP Aduroja Olurotimi, who ordered immediate action to recover Ajiboye’s phone.
Under interrogation, suspect Ronald Eyam admitted to being part of a larger syndicate and revealed that the attack on Ajiboye was their second operation. The investigation led officers to the Alaba Rago and Ojo areas, where they apprehended the remaining members of the gang and the receiver of Ajiboye’s stolen phone.
The suspects disclosed that they had mixed illicit drugs, including Lexotan, to incapacitate their victims. Thanks to the diligent efforts of the police, Ajiboye’s phone was recovered, and the investigation into the 250,000 Naira missing from his pocket is ongoing.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police has commended the officers involved in the case for their professionalism and swift response in bringing the suspects to justice.