How suspected criminals robbed distressed motorists

The suspects

Detectives attached to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris’s Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), have arrested some men, who allegedly used to rob distressed motorists on the road while pretending that they wanted to assist them.
Investigators said that the gang, which uses a locally made gun, had a penchant for going after exotic cars. They allegedly scout for victims around Kaduna and Jos expressways.
Two of the gang members, Ochuko Awasa and Gabriel Ibia, are said to be kingpins of the gang. The police said: “These two men are the ones that linked and connected every member of the gang.” Another gang member, Jethro Jammal, was alleged to have linked the gang to a receiver in Jos. Awasa 36, from Delta State, a graduate of Accounting, Federal Polytechnic Ibila, Niger State, said that he graduated in 2007.
After his graduation, he worked at a branch of a popular eatery in Kaduna State as an assistant and also the branch’s stock keeper. He was placed on N52, 000 monthly salary. Precisely after a year of working there, he walked out and got a job with an advertising company in Abuja, working in the marketing department. He disclosed that his monthly take home package there was N175, 000. After working in the advertising firm for two years and six months, he was sacked. He, however, refused to disclose why he was sacked. He said that after his sack, getting another job became difficult.

Sick and tired of wandering around the state, seeking for a job and being repeatedly rejected, Awasa, in February 2017, took to crime like duck to water. He said: “I started robbery with one of my friends, Gabriel. Gabriel also lost his job. Our first operation was along the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, Kaduna State.
We stole Honda Pilot SUV from its owner. The owner ran into a ditch during a heavy downpour at the Federal Cooperative College axis of the expressway. “I and my friend saw the owner of the vehicle making frantic efforts to pull the vehicle out of the ditch. We approached and offered to assist him. Immediately he relaxed his guard, we entered his vehicle and zoomed off.
I drove the vehicle to Jos, called one of my friends who resided there, his name is Jethro. I told him that I had a vehicle for sale. He took me to Bala who claimed to have links with people that buy stolen vehicles. I was paid N300, 000 for the vehicle.
I gave Bala and Jethro N80, 000 to share. I gave Gabriel, who stole the vehicle with me, N50,000. I kept the rest for myself.” The suspects were arrested by operatives of IRT, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Abba Kyari, following an order from the IGP, Ibrahim Idris.

The second operation, Awasa said, was in March 2017. He and his gang members robbed a lady they sighted along Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna State. The victim was sighted withdrawing money from an ATM machine. The gang members watched from a distance. As the lady was about to enter her car, they pounced, grabbed the money, bundled her out of the car and zoomed off with her car. Awasa said that although they thought of selling the car, jettisoned the idea because they didn’t trust Bala anymore. He said that Bala cheated them on a Honda Pilot SUV they gave him to sell. Awasa said: “So, we kept the Corolla. We used to drive it at hours we knew policemen wouldn’t be at checkpoints.
We were also looking for money to change the plate number and procure new vehicle papers. We didn’t do any job, until August 2017. My friend, Jethro, called and said that he was broke and needed money.
He also told me that he had a locally made gun and two boys, Gereade and Simon Brown, ready for operation. “When we went for the third operation, we saw a man who with his Peugeot 406. He was drunk and vomiting. We robbed him of his wallet, which contained N6, 000. We also took his car. I took the car to Abuja, called a man whom I knew sell cars. I told him how I got the car.

He said that he doesn’t buy stolen cars. He promised to link me to someone whom he knows used to buy stolen cars. I didn’t know that the person he linked me to, was a policeman. I was arrested eventually, and then I led the police to arrest five members of my gang. The operation was supposed to be my last. I had planned to relocate to Delta State. I wanted to attempt to get a job in a secondary school as a teacher. I had already decided to change my bad ways before my friend came, saying he was broke.”
Ibia 27, from Benue State, a school certificate holder claimed he mistakenly took to crime. The suspect, who said he is a baker, explained that there was a shop where bakers used to meet in Kaduna. It was at one of such meetings that he met Ochuko.
They became friends. They started discussing and brainstorming on how much it would cost to start their own bakery. One day, they attended a party at Cooperative College Kaduna, where they saw a man outside.

The man appeared to be having problems with his car, which was inside a gutter. Ibia said: “We saw a man, who was drunk. He was also vomiting. We decided to steal his vehicle. We made away with it and sold it.
That was why I said I came into crime unknowingly. I didn’t follow them to the last operation, but the vehicle we got from the sec-ond operation was with me. We had planned to use it for a taxi around Kaduna. We were looking for money to change the papers. I abandoned the vehicle at a checkpoint at Marabarido area of Kaduna after I saw policemen. After I was arrested, I took policemen to where I abandoned the vehicle.
We couldn’t find it. I regretted getting involved in crime. I had even got another job in Kachia Local Government.” Gerald Naboth, 25, from Delta State, graduated in 2009 and lives in Kaduna State. Narrating his own story, he said: “This is my first operation.
It was my friend Jethro who got me into crime. I complained to him that my wife was pregnant and about to give birth. I needed money; Jethro linked me to the gang, and on the night I met Awasa, we went for that operation. We succeeded in robbing the drunk man. We robbed him of his car and wallet. Awasa took the car for sale but refused to give us our share. We went and picked his girlfriend at her shop. We made her to call him.

We threatened him. We didn’t know that the police had already arrested him. A few days later, an unmarked vehicle showed up and I was arrested. Inside the vehicle, I saw Simon, Jethro and Awasa.” Bala Mamah 37, from Jos, Plateau State, introduced himself as a trader. He sells foodstuffs and allegedly used to buy stolen items from the suspects. He disclosed that there was a particular car he bought from the suspects and sold it for N900, 000.