•Police swooped on gang in posh hotel
The suspects, Mr. Francis Ogbonna, 27, Chisom Joseph, 22, and Oloko Raheem, were rounded up in a posh hotel at the Suruele area of Lagos State, while attempting to sell off cars snatched at gun point to a buyer.
The men confessed to have once snatched six cars within four days in Lagos State. The gang was smashed by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris’s Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
According to the police, the gang has been terrorising the Aguda, Surulere, Ijesha and Ikotun areas of Lagos State for long. The IRT operatives, led by a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Mr. Abba Kyari, recovered four exotic cars and a locally made gun from the gang. A police source said: “The gang was formed in the Kirikiri Medium Prison. The gang, within a space of four days snatched a total number of six cars from their owners at Ajao Estate, Surulere, Ijesha and Ikotun in Lagos State.”
It was gathered that the downfall of the suspects started after Idris deployed the IRT to hunt the gang, which was becoming notorious. The gang seemed to be elusive until IRT operatives took over the investigations and swooped on it. Ogbonna, alleged leader of the gang, narrated how he joined crime, went to prison and later formed the gang.
He said that after he finished secondary school in Abia State he moved to Surulere, Lagos State. He worked as a cab driver for a while before moving back to the East. He recounted: “I went into crime last year November.
One of my friends, a secondary school class mate, Uchenna, begged me to assist him in driving stolen cars from Lagos to Owerri. Yes, I knew Uchenna was an armed robber. I also knew the cars I drove for him were stolen. Whenever I moved a car for him, Uchenna would pay me N50, 000.
There was a time I assisted him to deliver a Camry Tiny Light car and a Sequoia SUV. I was moving a Lexus 330 car for him when some Customs officials flagged us down. Uchenna was with me in the car.” Ogbonna continued: “When the Customs officials stopped us, I showed them the vehicle papers.
They saw a telephone number on the customs licence paper and called it. The owner of the car picked. He told them that his car was sto-len. I was arrested, but Uchenna escaped. I was taken to Customs’ office in Ikeja.” Customs officials tracked Uchenna to his village, but they still couldn’t arrest him.
He escaped through the bush when he saw the officials. Ogbonna was later charged to court and remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison. Ogbonna recalled: “When I got to prison, I met Chimobi and Raheem. I knew them at Aguda. We used to smoke together. They knew me as a taxi driver.
They said they were arrested for robbery. Since we came from the same Aguda, we became very close.” In May 2016, Chisom and Raheem were released on bail, while Ogbonna regained his freedom in July.
While in prison, Ogbonna tried to connect with Uchenna. He wanted Uchenna to assist him to leave prison earlier, but Uchenna didn’t have time for him. In fact, Uchenna told him that he was fleeing the country.
Uchenna told Ogbonna that he was leaving Nigeria because many of his gang members had been killed by the police. Ogbonna recounted: “I told Uchenna that he was the one who got me into trouble and should assist me to get out.
When I persisted, he switched of his phone and later changed his mobile number. I became angry. I was the only one facing the problem. I decided that I would go fully into armed robbery.” It was in prison he met one Amos who linked him to Alhaji and Tosin.
The said Alhaji used to buy stolen cars from robbers. When Ogbonna got the Alhaji’s phone number, he called and it was agreed that he would be one of the robbers supplying stolen cars to Alhaji. The deal would however kick off only after Ogbonna leaves prison.
Ogbonna said: “When I was released I travelled to East. I later called Tosin and Alhaji that I had been released. I told Tosin I had no gun. He asked me to come to Lagos. He said he would get one for me. I informed Raheem about the deal. He said he was ready to join me. When I got to Lagos, I lodged at a hotel in Aguda, Surulere. The next day, Tosin brought a double barrel locally made pistol with five cartridges.
I called Raheem, Chisom and one David, who is from my state. I asked them to meet me in the hotel.” When the men met Ogbonna at the hotel, they planned a robbery operation and immediately went ahead to execute it. Ogbonna explained: “We went to Ojuelegba in Surulere and snatched a taxi from the owner. We also went to Ago Palace and snatched a Toyota Corolla car from a guy.”
He said that after snatching the cars, they went to the Cele area of Lagos to meet Alhaji where he was waiting to receive one of the stolen cars. The next day he called Alhaji to ask for payment, but the man wouldn’t pick his calls.
He said: “The next day, Tosin came around. I brought out the stolen taxi from where I parked it and we went to snatch cars. We snatched a Honda Civic car at Kilo. I gave it to Tosin. We also snatched a Camry car, 2003 model at Aguda.
After that operation, we left the stolen taxi, which we used as operational vehicle in a street. We parked the Camry car in another street, where we knew it would be safe. “By Friday, we used the Camry car to snatch a Honda car in Akelere area of Surulere. We also went to Ajao Estate to snatch a Toyota Mosul. At that time, I had three cars in my possession and later Alhaji picked my call. He said that the car I gave him was tracked.
The following week, I checked into another hotel in Ikotun. Tosin came with policemen and I was arrested. They found the guns and the car keys with me. Now that I have been arrested, I strongly feel very bad. I know that crime doesn’t pay.
I want to join the Nigeria Police Force. I want to fight crime. I can make a difference.” Joseph, on his part, claimed that poverty drove him into crime. According to him, he lost his parents at a very tender age and had to fend for himself.
He said that one of his friends, Ifeanyi, aka Tigana, who was killed recently by policemen during a robbery operation, initiated him into crime. He resides at Ijesha in Surulere. It was in his area he met and became friends with Ifeanyi. One of the things that attracted him to Ifeanyi was the way the latter used to spend money. Joseph, a barber, said Ifeanyi was one of his customers and used to give him money.
Joseph said: “One day, when I was with him at the place where we used to smoke, I told him that I wanted him to teach me how to fish. He took my phone number. He called me one day and asked me to meet him at a hotel. He called Raheem and two others.
We drove to Victoria Island. Raheem was the one driving the taxi. We robbed a man of his car, money and phones. The car was given to a certain Hausa man called Steven. In September, Joseph called me. He was in a hotel with Raheem and two other guys.
We left and snatched a taxi. We used the taxi to snatch two cars. Ifeanyi had a Toyota Corolla car in his possession. We were waiting for Steven to come and pick the cars, when we saw him with policemen.
They arrested all of us and charged us to court. We were remanded in Kirikiri Medium Prison. In June 2015, Francis Ogbonna was brought to prison and we became friends. When I was released, I reconnected with Francis. We snatched five cars together.”
The third suspect, Oloko, described himself as a driver. He said he was introduced into armed robbery by his friends. He also blamed the economic situation in Nigeria for taking to crime. Oloko, who said he is a father of three, said he used to work in a car washing company, but the money just wasn’t enough for him and his family. Sick and tired of the constant struggle to keep the wolves from the door, he decided to take to crime.
He was working with Ifeanyi before he was arrested and sent to prison. Like others, he met Ogbonna in prison, they discussed and sealed their alliance. After he was released he went to join Ogbonna’s gang in car snatching.
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