Mufutau Sulaimon
Mufutau Timileyin Sulaimon, also known by his nickname Pencil (died June 23, 2019), was a Nigerian criminal and the ringleader of a notorious gang that was responsible for the murders of several people in Lagos State. Sulaimon's gang were described by Lagos police as "serial killers, rapists and cultists".
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Based in the city of Ikorodu, Sulaimon has been described as a "most wanted notorious kidnap ringleader" and a "kidnap kingpin". His main MO was to kidnap random victims from Ikorodu and hold them to ransom for large amounts of money, and then kill the victims and hide their bodies in septic tanks when the families paid up. Sulaimon's gang was also known to commit rape.
On March 14, 2019, Sulaimon's gang kidnapped two currency exchange officers from Ikorodu and ransomed them for 1.6 million naira. Once the families had paid the amount demanded, Sulaimon killed the officers and hid them in the septic tank along with his other victims. This case caused the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to begin a wider search for Sulaimon's gang.
In June 2019, SARS arrested three members of Sulaimon's gang and demanded that they lead officers to the gang's hideout. The detainees agreed and led SARS to Sulaimon, who was intensively monitored until officers located his main hideout in Odogunyan, Ikorodu. An armed response team was ordered to raid the hideout and capture Sulaimon on June 23. When the team arrived, Sulaimon realised what was happening and began shooting at the officers, injuring sergeants Omoola Adedeji and Gbenga Oluwadare. Other officers returned fire and wounded Sulaimon in the legs. Sulaimon was taken to hospital, but died on arrival as a result of his injuries. Both officers shot by him survived. The bodies of the two exchange officers were later recovered from Sulaimon's hideout, along with the bodies of two other Ikorodu residents killed by the gang.