Operatives of the Inspector-General
of Police Special Intelligent Response Team (IRT) have smashed a
seven-man-gang, which specialised in using military uniforms and assassination threats to rob people.
Among the suspects is a dismissed
soldier, Suleiman Usman, (28). He was dismissed after he fled the Boko Haram
war at Maduiguiri Borno State. He had seen too many colleagues killed; he
didn’t want to face similar fate.
He was declared a deserter and
finally arrested in Ikorodu area of Lagos State by the military. He was later
dismissed.
He confessed that after his
dismissal, he started using his uniform to escort trucks and soon graduated
into robbing using the uniform.
Police have identified the victims
as Femi Otubaga, Idris Omoseyin, Tobi Oyetola, Suleiman Raheem, Saheed Oyewole,
Suleiman Usman and Steven Joseph.
Police have described the gang as
notorious with penchants for targeting and hijacking trucks loaded with goods.
They were recently arrested after they had successfully hijacked a trailer
truck belonging to KKK Steel Nigeria Limited, loaded with 40tons of iron rods.
The driver of the truck, Sanusi
Amidu, told police that the gang, with members in military uniforms, collected
his truck from him at gunpoint along Mile 12 area of Lagos State.
Members of the gang, who operate on
a green coloured Toyota Camry car, marked KSF 427 CB, usually patrol major highways
in the state, clad in military uniforms. They allegedly patrol highways,
hunting for trucks loaded with goods to hijack.
Whenever the gang sighted such a
truck, it would go after it, force the driver to halt by pretending that the
truck had hit their car.
Alarmed that he had hit a car
belonging to a military personnel, Amidu switched off his ignition and jumped
down.
Immediately he got down, the
military men, pretending to be incensed, bundled him into the boot of their
car, right under the glare of people. Like is the norm in the Nigeria, nobody
likes getting involved with military men. This attitude was what the robbers in
military uniform capitalized on and won.
Amidu was whisked to an unknown
destination, while his truck load of goods was moved to Ebute Meta area of the
metropolis, to Saheed Oyewole.
Oyewole is alleged to be sponsor of
the gang. Once the goods get to him, he sells them off to already waiting
buyers.
The gang’s Waterloo started after
the IGP, Mohammed Adamu, received petitions on activities of some gangs
hijacking goods worth millions of naira along some highways in Lagos and
Lagos/Ibadan routes.
Adamu instructed IRT, led by Deputy
Commissioner of Police, (DCP) Abba Kyari, to hunt for the gangs and ensure they
were smashed.
Some weeks after the IGP’s instructions,
the IRT arrested a member of the gang, Otubaga along Ikorodu area of the metropolis.
The IRT operatives used Otubaga as bait to catch Oyetola and Omoseyin Aka
Aloma, all in Ikorodu.
A police source said: “The suspects
confessed and mentioned Saheed Oyewole as their sponsor and receiver.
According to the suspects, Oyewole recruits men and provides funds for
operations. It was after the arrest of
Oyewole, that he led us to arrest Raheem. This Raheem has a military uniform
and identity card, which he had been using to deceive policemen at checking
points.”
Further remembering how the gang
bundled him into the boot of their car, Amidu said: “It happened on December
21. I was on my way from Ikorodu, when a
Toyota Camry car blocked my way. Five men jumped out of the car. One of them
was armed with a gun, three were in military uniforms. They claimed that I had
hit their car. They bundled me into the boot of their car and took me to a spot
along the Lagos\Ibadan Expressway. They dragged me out of the car boot and ordered
me to walk into the bush. They said that someone had paid them to kill me.”
Amidu further recalled: “While I was
walking into the bush, one of them opened fire. The bullet didn’t hit me, but I
fell to the ground and lay on there for a long time. When I discovered that
they had left, I trekked from Shagamu to Ibafo area of Ogun State. It
was there I saw someone who gave me a lift to Mile 12.”
Raheem (30) married with a child
said that he was a taxi driver, residing at Aradagun area of Badagry.
He explained that he joined the hijacking gang in 2018.
it was friend, Sulieman that introduced me to
the gang, he said he wanted me to drive with my vehicle so that we will hijack
vehicles on the high away. He told me that I could make big money from
the business if I join the gang. The first truck we hijacked was at Sango
Ota, the truck was carrying cartons of Indomi noddies, blocked the driver and
Akeem took the truck away, while I took, the driver to Sango toll gate where we
dropped him. the goods was taken to our receiver known as Saheed and I
was given N100,000 as my share. The second operation was along the Ibadan
expressway and the truck we hijacked was carrying cartoons of tooth paste and
we took the truck to Saheed and he gave me N50,000 as my share. On that
day, Saheed called that we should go and work for him then we saw the truck
carrying the iron and we followed him, and when we got to Ketu he
stopped the truck and arrested the driver, I took him my vehicle and I dropped
him off along Ibandan road. Saheed gave me N225, 000 as my share but
I don’t know the exact amount he sold the goods. We don’t use guns in our
operations, but the people who Saheed brought to work with us came with the
gun, we used at the last operation.
Saheed Oyewole, 45-year-old, from
Ibadan but I reside at Apapa Road, I am a transporter in Apapa sea port,
I am married with four children. I went in to Hijacking business
four year ago, I don’t use to follow them for the operation, but I am the
person sponsoring them and whenever they hijack a truck they will bring it to
me to buy. The first good they brought for me was cartons of indomine, they
called and told me that they had the goods and I asked them to bring the
sample, I also gave them N80,000 but before they came the police had already
intercepted the truck because it has a track and I was arrested eventually and
charged to court and I was granted bail. They also brought cartons
of biscuits to me and it has 150 cartons of biscuits and I sold it
for N225,000, I took N70,000 and I gave them N150,000 to share, the third was
the iron rod and they gave it to me and I took it to my friend, who sold
it for N3.2million. I got N200, 000 as my share and the gang sheared the rest among
themselves.
But in January 2019, I was arrested
by the police and I have made my confessions.
Femi Otubaga, 26-year-old Ago-Iwoye
Ogun State, I am an iron bender; I am married with a child. It was
Saheed that introduced me into Hijacking business, I have never done that before,
I told him that I was broke and I needed money and he told me that I have to go
for hijacking. I got scared and I ran away. but since I was broke I had
no option but to do the job and he told me that he has some soldiers to work
for him and we all had a meeting at the Happy Hotel in Ikorodu, along Itamaga
Road, and Saheed paid hotel fee for everyone and I also brought a gun that
belongs to one of my brothers and we used it to intimidate the driver. I
got N11,000 as my share.
Omoseye Idris, Oyetola Tobi.
Suliaman Usman, 28-year-old, I am
from Kwara State, I am a dismissed soldier, I ran away from Maidugury in 2016
and I was arrested me in Ikorodu and they dismissed and handed me over to the
police. Since I was dismissed I have been using the uniform to look for
what to eat as an escort. I have also gone for hijacking job along
Ibadan Road, and we hijacked a truck carrying cartons of indomie and we gave
the goods to Saheed and he gave us N200,000. It was one of my friends,
known as Saka Bashiru, who is dead now that linked me to Saheed.
Steven Joseph 27-year-old I am from
Akwa Ibom State, I am formerly a member of the Man o war and I was working as a
guard in 7th Avenue AA, CLOSE Festac Town,
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