I escaped when I was taken out to cut grass –Suspect

Most times, when inmates escape from prisons, it’s usually during a prison-break. But Ibrahim Umaru, 22, didn’t have to rely on such an opportunity. He simply devised a plan, waited for the right time and then simply walked away. 

That’s how easy it is to escape from prison. After fleeing prison, Umaru, rather turn a new leaf, went back to his old life of crime. He was however quick to add that he didn’t commit any crime before being arrested and taken to Ogwashi-Uku Prison. 
The suspect escaped from prison in 2018 and fled to Zamfara State, where he joined a gang of bandits. These bandits specialised in cattle rustling and razing down communities. After embarking on several operations, Umaru was again rearrested. He was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police, Special Intelligence Responses Team (IRT), led by a D e p u t y C o m – missioner of Police (DCP), Mr Abba Kyari. An AK-47 rifle was re- covered from him.

He was arrested after he led members of his gang to rob a filling station in Asaba, Delta State. A police source said: “ Umaru was first arrested in 2014 when policemen on patrol accosted him after he took some cows for grazing. The policemen searched and found a gun on him. He was taken to court, where he was charged for illegal possession of firearm. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but later escaped. He fled to his home town and later joined a cattle rustling syndicate. “This gang has killed several people in Zamfara State. The gang was headed by Buhari Daji, who is now late.
Umaru took part in several robberies, cattle rustling and kidnapping activities in Zamfara State before returning to Asaba Delta State with an AK-47 rifle which he started using to terrorise residents and business owners in Asaba Delta State.” The suspect was arrested after operatives of IRT on the order of the IG started investigating the gang’s activities. The gang was trailed and only Umaru was allegedly arrested.

IRT operatives trailed Umaru to a forest where he was arrested and the Ak-47 rifle recovered from him. After his arrest, Umaru said: “My father owns over 30 cows. He was the person that taught me how to rear cows. I was arrested in a bush along Ogwashi Road, Delta State. Some policemen accosted me with some cows; that was in 2014. I had 33 cows with me, which belonged to my father and myself. When the policemen saw me, they stopped me and searched my cows. They found a locally made gun. I was taken to B division and later charged to court, where I pleaded guilty.
That was mainly because I was a small boy back then.” Umaru was sentenced to five years imprisonment. He was incarcerated in Ogwashi- Uku Prison. He said: “ I escaped on one of the days I was taken out of the prison to cut grasses outside prison premises. One of my brothers, who normally visited me in prison had earlier told me that my father got sick and died. He said that my mother was also sick. When I was taken out of prison to perform grass cutting duty, I wasn’t wearing my prison vest, so I seized the opportunity to escape. “I had N200 with me at the time I escaped. I took a taxi that brought me down to Mariam Babaginda Road, Asaba. I found a trailer parked on that road, I greeted the driver and told him that I needed to be in Sokoto.
I explained to him that I had just escaped from Ogwashi-Uku Prison. He accepted to take me to Sokoto. “When I got home, I met my mother very ill. I spent five months in my village. Then I went to Kwara State to check my cows. I spent one month with my cows and then one of my friends told me that Buhari Daji was recruiting boys to work for him. I went and joined him. He gave me a gun and I fought once for him.

I later took the gun to Asaba, where I linked up with one of my friends known as Baba. He said he needed a gun; I brought out the gun.” Umaru said that he and Baba’s gang members decided to go and rob a filling station along Ibuzo Road. He added: “We went there at night; we broke into the filling station and robbed it. A month later, I decided to rob the filling station again. I called Baba, who used to assist me to service the rifle. But on my way, the police arrested and recovered the gun from me.”