The Rapid Response Squad of the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Command has arrested a man who claimed to be a driver of commercial bus in Lagos, popularly known as Danfo, Ademola Ibrahim, for illegally removing the rails both under and above the Eko Bridge.
Ibrahim was said to have conspired with one other suspect simply identified as Kampo to commit the crime on April 24, 2015 at about 7pm.
The suspects had attempted to park the bridge rails into a waiting Volkswagen Faragon bus, with registration number MUS 457 XK, when they were intercepted, while the said Kampo took to his heels upon sighting the RRS patrol vehicle.
The RRS operatives were said to be acting on reliable information to the effect that some miscreants were removing bridge rails, both the ones used to guide the bridge on top and the ones used to tie the bridge under.
A credible source in RRS, who does not want to be named, disclosed that investigation of the command revealed that the suspects have been indulging in such criminal act in other parts of the state.
He said: “About three days ago, one of our patrol vehicles, RRS 153, went on routine patrol and when they were going, they saw the suspect parking his Volkswagen Faragon bus. They suspected something fishy and they intercepted the man and interrogated him on his mission in the area. The suspect (Ibrahim) told the RRS team that somebody called him to come and carry a load for him and they conducted a search on the vehicle and found about 30 pieces of bridge rails.
“When they questioned him as to how he came about the rails, he said somebody contacted him to come and park the load for him and he identified the person and Kampo. In the process, they asked him about the whereabouts of the person and he responded that he ran away upon sighting the patrol vehicle.
“Based on that, the patrol team now arrested him and brought him to our headquarters. We interrogated him and he told us the same story that somebody asked him to park the load. But from our investigation when we interrogated him further, we discovered that it was a conspiracy between him and the person that asked him to come and park the load. Our investigation revealed that he has been doing that for a long time particularly in other locations across the State.
“Their action is capable of making the bridge to suddenly collapse because the rails are the irons that were used to tie the long bridge together and this action is a serious crime that could lead to massive death and destruction of properties.”
The source added that a massive manhunt has been launched to get the other suspect who is on the run arrested, while Ibrahim would be charged to court any moment from now.
When interrogated by newsmen, Ibrahim said he was living under the bridge in Iddo Terminus with the suspect who is on the run and that it was the said Kampo that asked him to help pack some irons with his bus somewhere.
Ibrahim further said: “Kampo told me that he has some irons somewhere and that I should help him pack them. He never told me he stole the irons and while we were packing the irons on the Ijora Bridge, we just saw RRS patrol vehicle and he took to his heels upon seeing the policemen and I was subsequently arrested.”
