Anti-Robbery Squad of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, has arrested a four-man gang that had allegedly been terrorising residents of the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The suspects Akin Ayotunde, Isaac Ogbonna, Sola Dede and Sodiq Lawal specialised in lurking around houses at night and switching off their victims’ generators before attacking them.

They, however, met their Waterloo last Thursday when they were arrested after invading the apartment of one Bello Hakeem in the Igbe area.

The suspects spent six hours in the victim’s duplex and went away with his car, generator, money, phones, Automated Teller Machine cards, modems, laptops and cash.

They also stole his wife’s jewellery and withdrew N100,000 using one of the ATM cards.

Hakeem said he observed that his generator suddenly went off and he asked two of his children to go outside and fix the problem.

Hakeem, an environmental scientist, said he reported the incident at the Ijede Police Station, adding that the suspects were able to withdraw N100,000 from his First Bank account before he deactivated all the stolen ATM cards.

He said two days after the incident, a friend called him that a car that looked like his own had been put up for sale.

He said operatives from the SCIID, Yaba, were alerted and the suspects were rounded up.

The four suspects, who confessed to the crime, said they operated with knives to avoid bloodshed.

The gang leader, Ayotunde, 27, said, “I used to sell garri with my grandma in a market before a former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, demolished shops in the market. I tried another job, but it didn’t work.

Ogbonna, 23, an indigene of Ebonyi State, said he was looking for money for the treatment of his elder sister when he was invited to join the gang.

The third suspect, 24-year-old Dede, from Ondo State, said he joined the group because he was told nobody would be killed, adding that he needed money to change his apartment.

The police also arrested the receiver of some of the stolen items, Akeem Lawal, who claimed that the suspects lied to him that the goods were imported.

Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest, saying investigations were ongoing.

Badmos a Superintendent of Police said the last house they robbed belonged to a couple who quickly alerted the police, before they were trailed and arrested, saying they were currently undergoing interrogation at the command.