Operatives
of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, Lagos have smashed a syndicate,
arresting a woman and a man that specialised in robbing unsuspecting passengers
who board commercial cab along Badagry-Mile 2 route.
According
to Police sources, the suspects identified as Ahmed Isiaka and Victoria Amodu
are part of five-man robbery gang operating along Seme-Badagry- Mile 2 route.
One of
the apprehended robbers, 27-year-old Victoria, while narrating her story said: continue
“I was arrested last Wednesday at Dakar Hotel in Seme where I used to work as a
prostitute.
“I am
from Edo State. I came to Lagos last February to look for greener pastures when
my husband was constantly beating me. We were married for eight years.
“I
abandoned my husband and three children and came to Lagos with the intention of
living under the bridge until I found a place to lay my head. Fortunately for
me, I didn’t have to sleep under the bridge as I met a lady in a commercial bus
I boarded who had compassion on me when she saw me crying in the bus.
“She took
me to the hotel where she was working as a prostitute and introduced me into
the league of prostitutes.
“Everything
was going on well until Okanlawon patronised me in the hotel. The first time we
spent the night together. After that night I didn’t see him again untill three
weeks later.
“Weeks
later, someone stole my N100,000 from my room in the hotel while I was asleep.
While I was still lamenting the loss, the collector of our Esusu
contribution disappeared with my N150,000.
“As I was
still grieving over the loss, Okanlawon came to the hotel to see me. He told me
to accompany him to a night club. Initially I declined but after much persuasion
I followed him.
“Instead
of going to the club, he took me to his place where we spent the night
together. In the morning, he asked me to enter the front seat of his vehicle
and he started picking passengers and I asked him why he was carrying passengers
but he didn’t respond.
“It was
when he and his gang members attacked the passengers that I knew what he was
into. I told him I didn’t want to take part in their operations. But he
threatened to deal with me, saying nobody would know my whereabouts if I didn’t
co-operate with the gang.
“That was
why I had a rethink and continued to participate in robbery operations. The
first time I participated, I wasn’t given anything while at two other times I
was given N15,000 and N10,000 respectively.”
Trouble
for the gang
Vanguard learnt that trouble started for
the gang after a victim whom they robbed reported the incident at the Ojo
Police Division which began investigating the activities of the gang.
Ironically,
the female police officer investigating the case at the division was also
robbed by the gang when she boarded their vehicle while in mufti.
She was
able to get details of the vehicle during the attack. The cab was later traced
to Iyana-Iba the next day when unsuspecting passengers were already boarding it.
Ahmed was
then arrested while the other members escaped. The case was later transferred
to SARS for further investigation which eventually led to the arrest of
Victoria.
Mode of
operation
The gang
had two operational styles. First, they could use two operational vehicles.
One of
the suspects, Ahmed would occupy the driver’s seat while Victoria, the only
female suspect in the gang sits in front and another gang member at the back as
unsuspecting passengers board the cab.
The other
two members would sit in the back-up vehicle. Immediately they get to a lonely
place along the road, the gang members in the back-up cab would signal the
driver with the passenger to stop by flashing his phone.
The
driver would then pretend to be fixing his vehicle that would have suddenly
become faulty. This will allow those in the back-up vehicle to launch an
attack. That way the passengers won’t suspect any foul play.
The
second mode of operation is that they use one vehicle with Victoria sitting
beside the driver to pick passengers without the back-up vehicle.
Ahmed’s
account
During
interrogation, 33-year-old Ahmed Isiaka from Kwara State told Vanguard:
“I was introduced to the gang by Okanlawon last November. Other members of the
gang are Nuru, Victoria and Isiaka.
“I am the
driver of the operational vehicle, a Honda Accord, while Nuru used to drive the
back-up vehicle, a Mazda.
“We used
to operate along Iyana-Iba-Badagry expressway. Usually, Victoria sits at the
front while another member sits at the back. I take passengers from Iyana-Iba
bus stop going to Badagry. Before we get to a lonely area between Agbara and
Oko-Afo the other members of the gang in the back-up vehicle would signal me to
stop.
“Immediately,
I receive the signal, I would pretend like the vehicle was faulty then park and
pretended to be fixing the vehicle. While this was going on, the other members
would strike.
“We don’t
use guns or juju to rob passengers, instead we use wheel spanner. We
don’t even make them unconscious during operation. Usually we operate in the
night. Sometimes we operate in broad daylight.
“Depending
on our loot, I could get as much as N10,000 from one operation. And I have
participated in about four robbery operations.
“Okanlawon
used to take all the phones we get from operations. Before I joined the gang I
was a commercial bus driver.
“I am
married with a child. I used to live at Ibafo before my rent expired and I
moved to 1, Denton Street in Oyingbo.
Culled From Vangurd
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