Operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have arrested six suspected trans-border robbers.
The suspects, Ahmed Ibrahim, 33, Kelechi Nebu, 30, Ndueso Sunday, 45, Tochukwu Egemuka, 33, Obinna Oforkaja, 30, and the truck driver, Kudus Adebayo, are said to be members of a nine-man syndicate, led by Ibrahim, a Cameroonian.
Sources said the Cameroonian was a brother to a former guard in the firm under whose watch 100 truck tyres were stolen in August.
The Nation learnt the suspects were arrested yesterday morning while escaping to Lagos after they had robbed a warehouse belonging to a haulage firm in Ogun State.
Parading the suspects, Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said the RRS arrested them at Meiran in Lagos.
He said the police recovered a Volvo truck, registered as KRD515XR, 13 units of truck tyres, a refrigerator, 26 gallons of four-litre engine oil, 24 gallons of 25-litre engine oil, two batteries, charms, cutlass and two knives.
A security guard at the haulage company, Kenny Peters, said the robbers tied him and threatened to shoot him.
He said: “They held me from the back. They wanted to shoot me, but one of them said the bullet would not affect me. They attacked me with a machete and beat me up with rods and wheel spanners.
“They tied my hands to the back and carried me to the fence, thinking I was dead. They looted the store and were about escaping when I regained consciousness. I hanged to the back of the truck from Dalemo, Sango, Ogun State to Toll Gate, where I saw the RRS team.
“I alerted them and they chased the truck to Meiran junction, where they were forced to stop. Four of them fled, while five were arrested.”