The
two suspects confessed to have met in Kirikiri Prison, where they formed a
robbery gang.
The
suspects, Simon Tyozemda (27) from Benue State and Lucky Friday (24) from Delta
State, were arrested on March 14, 2018, in possession of two long knives inside
an Uber operated cab.
The
suspects were inside a Toyota Camry Saloon, with registration number APP 145 EE
and had planned to kill its driver and take over his car.
The
alleged leader of the gang, Tyozemda, through his girlfriend’s UBER app,
ordered a taxi around past 11:00 p.m. last week. The suspects plan was to lure
the driver of the Toyota Camry to a desolate location, kill the driver and take
away his vehicle.
The
suspects were taking the driver to a lonely place on Lekki – Epe Expressway,
Lagos, when their vehicle was stopped by RRS officers for a Stop and Search.
The
officers noticed that one of the suspects, seated at the back of the vehicle,
was hiding a long knife.
Investigations
revealed that the suspect’s intention was to divert the driver to a lonely
place and snatch his Toyota Camry.
The
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Edgal Imohimi said: “Police investigations
revealed that Tyozemda and Friday were ex-convicts, who were released between
December 2017 and January, 2018, from Kirikiri. Sometimes in February, 2018, in
a similar manner, snatched an Uber Toyota Corolla with the registration number,
FST 663 EZ, along Badore Road, Ajah, around 2:00 a.m. after killing its driver.
The suspects, after snatching the Toyota Corolla car, sold it to Mohammed Usman
for N350, 000. Mohammed had only paid N100, 000 and was to move the vehicle to
Jigawa when RRS operatives arrested him.”
Imohimi
advised Uber drivers, and other private cab operators to avoid taking customers
to unknown or lonely destinations.
Tyozemda,
an erstwhile security guard turned stylist in Badore, said: “I met my colleague, Lucky Friday in Kirikiri
Prison. We became friends and when I was released I gave him the number of my
brother for him to call me. When he was released, I promised him I was going to
assist him to resettle properly. Since then, we have been working and operating
together.”
Tyozemda
further said: “Our first operation was where we killed the driver of the Toyota
Corrolla. He was a cab driver. I stabbed the guy in the stomach twice and I
dropped him off on the road in Badore, Ajah around 2:00 a.m. We threw away the
knives and bought new ones for a fresh operation, but we were arrested. Before
killing him, I placed the order for a cab to pick us up at Lambasa, Lekki
around 11:00 p.m. Our destination was Abraham Adesanya Estate. But we needed a
desolate location to snatch the vehicle from the driver.
“It
was the same business that took me to Kirikiri Prison. I was introduced into it
by Michael. Unfortunately for me, I was arrested while Michael escaped. I spent
four months behind bar. It is sad I’m being arrested again over the same
business.”
Also
arrested along with the suspects were the middle man, who introduced the gang
to the buyer of the Toyota Corolla, John Thankgod (25) and the buyer of the
car, Mohammed Usman (41).
The
vehicle was about to be taken to Jigawa State the following day, when RRS team
arrested the suspects.
Further
investigations revealed that the driver, Godfrey Ovie’s remains was dropped in
Badore by the suspects, where it was discovered the following day by the
police.
The
car was recovered from Usman, who bought the car for N350, 000, but had paid
N100, 000.
Usman
said: “It was one John that used to come to my shop where I sell scrap to sell things
to me. One fateful day, he came and told me that a friend of his wanted to sell
a car. He told me the owner of the car was travelling back to America, which
was why the man wanted to sell his car.”
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