The Nation Newspaper

Tag: robbers

  • Anxiety in Warri, environs as robbers target bank customers

    There is apprehension among residents of Warri and environs in Delta State.

    This followed a fresh wave of robbery attacks targeting customers leaving banks in the area.

    Our correspondent learnt that customers leaving a new generation bank on the Ogunu Road in Warri were particularly targeted by the hoodlums.

    At least two incidents were recorded last Friday and yesterday morning.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The latest victim was attacked near the Angle Park before midday today (Monday). The victim, a man, had just left the bank with N300,000 and was on his way to the office when he was accosted by gun-toting men, who had apparently trailed him in a Toyota Camry car.”

    The Nation exclusively reported the riot act read by the Area Commander of Delta South, Mr Mu’azu Muhammed, to erring bank managers in the city.

    The Area Commander, who was apparently unhappy about the development, ordered a crackdown on banks where such attacks were rampant because he believed that there were “bank insiders working with the hoodlums”.

    Also, it was gathered yesterday that the victim of Monday’s robbery reported the matter to a special anti-crime unit, tagged ‘QRS’ (Quick Response Squad), in the area.

    “He said he was riding on a tricycle (Keke) when the armed hoodlums accosted him near the Angle Park roundabout. The ordered him to give up the money or risk being shot. The hoodlums took the money and sped away,” a police source told our correspondent.

    When our reporter visited the scene, detectives from the Area Command and the Officer in Charge of the QRS, Mr Alika Lamido, A Superintendent of Police (SP), were interrogating the victim to extract clues about the hoodlums.

    Although Mu’azu could not be reached for comment, a source in his office, who spoke confidence, confirmed the report.

    The source added that in line with the commander’s directive, they were beaming their searchlight on bank workers.

     

  • Police kill six suspected robbers in Delta

    THE Ughelli Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State has said it killed, last week, six suspected robbers in Ughelli, Ozoro and Abraka communities.

    The suspected robbers were reportedly killed in gun battles with combined teams of policemen and vigilantes.

    A female member of a suspected robbery gang was shot dead at Alagba-Iyede, in Isoko South Local Government Area.

    Valuables, suspected to have been stolen from their victims, were said to have been found in her handbag, besides a locally made gun.

    The police said they arrested the suspected leader of the gang during a shootout with the police and vigilantes.

    The suspected gang leader was said to have confessed to the possession of a cut-to-size double barrelled gun at his Ogborikoko home in Warri.

    The suspect was said to have been taken to Asaba, the Delta State capital.

    Ughelli Area Commander, Alali Smart Pedro, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), addressed reporters at the weekend on the development.

    He said an eyewitness affirmed that a gang of three robbers attacked a security man on his way to work.

    The robbers were said to have stolen his gun and Simba motorcycle.

    The police chief said luck ran out on the robbers when they ran into a vigilance group and a police patrol team.

    Also, the police in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area, under Ughelli Area Command, have arrested a suspect, Erabor Oghenero, for alleged car snatching.

    The police chief for the area, Erabor Oghenero, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the suspect was arrested when he attempted to escape with a Toyota Camry he allegedly snatched at gun point.

    The police said on May 9, his men intercepted a robbery gang behind a first generation bank on Isoko Road in Ughelli as they were robbing.

    On sighting the police and the vigilantes, it was learnt, the gang members allegedly opened fire on the law enforcement team.

    Three of the suspected robbers were reportedly killed in a gun battle while the others “escaped with bullet wounds”.

    Oghenero said two other robbery suspects were killed at Afiesere, Ughelli North Local Government Area, during a routine patrol in Ughelli.

    He said others escaped with bullet wounds.

    The police chief said his men killed seven suspected robbers in the last week.

  • Bloody day in Owo as robbers kill bank manager, others

    Three months after armed robbers unleashed terror on Ikare-Akoko in Ondo State killing no fewer than 20 persons during a bank robbery, another major town in the state has  by men of the underworld.

    A seven-member armed robbery gang struck in the ancient town of Owo last Thursday raiding four commercial banks and carting away an unspecified large amount of money. They also killed many people.

    Among the victims were a bank manager and his deputy who were felled by the robbers’ bullets.

    The dare devil armed robbers reportedly used dynamite to shatter the security doors to penetrate the banks to perpetrate their dastardly act.

    It was learnt that the branch manager of a first generation bank in the town and his assistant were killed during the robbery operation.

    Eye witness said the two officials failed to “co-operate” with the robbers when they stormed their bank.

    The robbers, according to findings seized the town at about 4.00pm and shot sporadically into the air till they got to the heart of the town where they robbed the commercial banks.

    Findings also revealed that the armed robbers carted away an undisclosed amount of money from the banks, while many workers sustained injuries.

    It was also gathered from unconfirmed sources that some residents of the town were shot dead, while others sustained serious injuries.

    The incident however caused pandemonium in the town as many residents who read political meanings to the incident protested round the town after the incident.

    A source alleged that the Police officers who witnessed the robbery did not challenge the armed robbers while the operation lasted.

    A resident of the town who spoke on condition of anonymity hinted that the armed robbers entered the town through the Owo-Abuja highway and moved straight to the heart of the town

    where major commercial banks are located.

    It was gathered that the armed robbers escaped arrest despite the presence of Police officers at the scene of the incident.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ondo State Police command, Mr Wole Ogodo who confirmed the incident said policemen had been deployed to the town to enforce orderliness.

    While condemning the incident, some residents of the town blamed the police for shying away from their responsibilities in resisting the robbers.

  • Doctors urge kidnappers, robbers to spare them of attack

    Doctors urge kidnappers, robbers to spare them of attack

    The National President of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria(AGPMPN)Dr Omo-Ehijele Odafe has urged armed robbers and kidnappers to spare his members from attack because of their humanitarian services to the society.

    Besides, he decried the over taxation and other unfriendly levies being imposed on medical doctors which according to him have not assisted in sustaining medical entrepreneurship.

    Addressing reporters in Akure, the Ondo State capital during the three- day 37th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association, Dr Odafe expressed concern over rampant cases of abduction and killing of private medical practitioners by kidnappers and armed robbers respectively.

    According to him:”Doctors are for humanitarian service, we treat everybody, armed robbers and kidnappers should leave our members alone, we have no money, but we are using our skills and intelligence to help the society”.

    He called on the Federal Government to provide security for members of the association who are daily being attacked, adding that hazard insurance for private and public hospitals would boost their operation.

    The Private Doctors’ president recalled that the first ever case of Ebola disease in Nigeria was detected in a private hospital before it was vigorously tackled.

    He urged the Federal Government to provide a health bank for private medical practitioners to enable them access cheap funds as against the normal bank loans which attract 30 per cent interest.

    His words “we want to deploy our resources in funding health care delivery without hardship in order to serve people.

    The AGPMPN President hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for constituting a team to look into the issue of the establishment of World class hospitals in the six geo-political zones of the country for the benefits of the masses.

    He advised the government to discourage the sponsoring of public servants for medical check-up in other countries when there are good hospitals in Nigeria.

  • Police kill two robbers in Ekiti

    Police kill two robbers in Ekiti

    Police in Ekiti State on Wednesday killed two robbery suspects in continuation of their onslaught on criminals.

    The two suspected robbers were gunned down in a shootout with operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) along Ilawe-Ikere-Igbara Odo axis of the state

    Their corpses were paraded at the state police command headquarters along Iyin Road before they were conveyed to the morgue.

    The suspects who were four in number in a Volkswagen car were stopped by the SARS men for stop-and-search but they reportedly opened fire on the policemen.

    Two of the suspected fled into the bush while the remaining two continued to engage the armed policemen in a gun duel by they fell to the superior firepower of the policemen.

    One of the deceased whose name was given as Ojo Sunday who specialized in attacking heavy duty vehicles was said to have killed a trailer driver recently and has been on the wanted list of the command.

    Speaking while parading the bodies of the slain robbers, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Alberto Adeyemi disclosed that Sunday had escaped police custody last year after being caught but later returned to robbery to unleash more terror on residents.

    Weapons found on the robbers, according to Adeyemi, include a Russian style single barrel pump action, 25 cartridges, Bournvita cocoa drink, and some little amount of money.

    The PPRO warned landlords to always be cautious of the means of livelihood of their tenants, to forestall them from harboring robbers as neighbours.

    He said: “The SARS operatives were on routine patrol early this morning around 1.45am along Igbara Odo-Ilawe-Ikere axis, they saw a Volkswagen car and stopped it for a search, but the occupants jumped down and started firing and the two robbers ran into bush with remaining engaging the police in a serious shooting.

    “The police were able to overpower them, as two of them were shot on the spot and died. Their corpses were brought to headquarters.

    “On getting here, we noticed one of them was a notorious armed robber named Ojo Sunday whose modus operandi had been to attack trailer drivers carrying cement along Igbara-Odo road ,  killed  the driver and the bus boys  and thereafter carry the  cement to Akure or places them for sale.”

    He said Ojo recently attacked a trailer driver, but was caught during an investigation and was detained in the police cell.

    Adeyemi added: “But Ojo  escaped on  1st October,  2014, by breaking the cell at  night and we have been  on his trail,  but it was when the corpse was brought here that we were able to identify him and his accomplice.

    “Even year, Ojo and his accomplice, Michael Adedeji robbed a trailer and later discovered about 600 bags of cements that he had sold to Akure.

    “We were able to recover them and we have been looking for them and other members of the gang because the vehicle they robbed is already here with us and it might be a stolen vehicle.”

    Adeyemi said the police is investigating the matter to find out whether the vehicle belong to any of the suspect or was hijacked from owners.

    He urged landlords not to admit criminals and urged residents to be more security conscious.

     

     

  • Robbers attack Ado-Ekiti estate

    •Residents held hostage for three hours

    Some residents of Adekunle Fajuyi Estate on Ilawe Road in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, were robbed by a seven-man gang, which attacked at least six homes.

    The robbers carted away cash, electronics, jewelry, laptops, iPads, phones and other valuables after operating unhindered for about three hours.

    They were said to have arrived the estate at midnight on motorcycles and headed for the Green Roof Section, where they divided themselves into small groups.

    The chairman of the landlords association, Ayo Orebe, said dogs barked endlessly before the arrival of the robbers, which was a sign that something sinister was about to happen.

    Orebe said: “It was at 12:30 am that one of the victims, a young man, rushed to my place.

    “He said the robbers broke into his apartment.  He said he would have put up a fight but they put a gun on his son.

    “Immediately we called the police and in fairness to them they were in the estate in 10 minutes.

    “But I think the fact that they were blaring their sirens put the thieves on guard because the police searched everywhere in the area before they left but they did not see any of the robbers.

    “Five other residents, including a player with Ekiti United Football Club, came to report that they were robbed.

    “They said the robbers took away their phones, laptops, computers, and lots of money, among others.

    “The victims said they threatened to shoot their children, if they failed to produce their belongings.”

    Police spokesman Alberto Adeyemi said officers responded promptly to the distress call and succeeded in securing the estate till daybreak.

  • Four suspected robbers arrested

    Four suspected robbers arrested

    Luck has run out against four of the eight-man gang that allegedly snatched a black Acura MDS Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in Ajegunle, Lagos, last December.

    The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Zonal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (ZSARS) in Olorunsogo, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital when they attempted to sell the vehicle.

    They are Idowu Ibrahim, 26, Rasak Abib, 25, Saheed Ramoni, 25, and Azeez Ayinde, 25. The officer in charge of ZSARS, Peter Gana, a superintendent of police (SP), while parading the suspects, said the vehicle belonging to Orhomuro Michael was snatched while the owner was driving into his house. Their armourer, Toheeb, and driver, Michael, are at large.

    Ibrahim who hails from Ajashe in Kwara state, was a commercial driver on the Oshodi-Mile 2 route, before he took to the underworld through what is known as one-chance’.

    He said: “We used to select passengers to enable us overpower our victims especially women. We did not use gun that time rather we used motor jack which we manipulated as gun to intimidate our victims. We did not beat or torture our victims and we did not push any victim out of our operational bus on motion. We used to operate only on Tuesdays and Fridays and each trip fetched us between N20, 000 and N50,000.

    “I resigned when I was arrested and charged to court because one of our victims (a woman) recognised our operational conductor Michael when we carried her and robbed her. Police came with Michael and arrested me. When I came back from prison, I decided to be snatching phones, jewelry, laptops and we have been succeeding.

    “On December 24, as we were going about along Kadosu Street in Ajegunle, we saw a man inside his jeep sleeping and well parked at his gate. We thought that his people refused to open the gate for him because he returned home late. When we got closer to him, we discovered that he was drunk and deep asleep and we carried him down and laid him by the gate and zoomed off with his jeep around 4am. We took the jeep to Ibadan and sold it for N280, 000 when the market price is N2.5 million. It was during Christmas period. The road was free and people were in celebration mood. The papers were complete. Unfortunately, on December 26, operatives of ZSARS led by SP Peter Gana trailed us to Ibadan and caught us where we were waiting for the buyer. We did not know that they had been trailing us. The buyer and one of our gang members escaped.”

    Abib, who is from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, was also a commercial bus driver.

    “My role when we were doing one chance work was to sit at the back seat of our operational bus and pretend as a passenger to attract other passengers. I helped to carry the drunken man out of his jeep to the ground.”

    The third suspect Ramoni, from Igesan Village in Ogun State, is the gang’s bus conductor.

    Ayinde, an automobile technician said, he did not join them for the “one-chance” operations.

    He said: “I only participated in car snatching. It was Abib that laid him beside the gate where he continued to sleep. My role is to search victims and collect their money, laptops, phones.”

  • Police parade eight suspected trans-border robbers

    Police parade eight suspected trans-border robbers

    • I got N28m in one operation, says suspected robbery kingpin

    Eight suspected trans-border armed robbers were Thursday paraded by personnel of the Lagos State Police Command for their involvement in various robberies including N100m around Alakija, Festac and a micro finance bank in Benin Republic.

    Also paraded were a Toyota Sienna bus, two AK 47 rifles, 11 AK47 loaded magazines, which the suspects allegedly hid in a specially constructed compartment underneath the bus.

    The suspects, John Nnmadi, 42, (leader);  Ifeanacho Igwe, 35, Samuel Igbi, 59, Anthony Umeh, 38, Chineye David, 29, Uchenna Eze,  35, Victor Anamalechi, 45 and Desmond Obinna, 32, were said to have been rounded up after the police received intelligence report on December 15, last year.

    The suspects, most of who were interviewed by reporters during the parade claimed they have participated in not more than four operations.

    Unaware that one of his members was in police net, Nnamdi, the gang leader after receiving a call from the member, moved to deliver his international passport as requested but was caught.

    His arrest and confession led to the clamp down of other gang members by the police.

    Eventhough the robbers have been in police custody since December, they showed no sign of remorse, rather, they bickered among themselves on who got the highest loot at each of the operations they had carried out within and outside Nigeria.

    Nnamdi, the gang leader said he collected N20m from the Alakija operation out of which he bought an Infinity jeep and other cars, but his claim was discredited by Ifeanacho who said they both collected N28m each.

    He said: “I got N28m and from the money I bought a tipper truck and a car. I also completed my mother’s house in Onicha LGA in Ebonyi State and sponsored my younger ones in school.

    “I was arrested in Cotonou and jailed for 20 months because I went with a friend to buy guns to start my own gang. But we have not even bought the guns when we were arrested.  It was a set up.

    “I was released on December 31 and came to Lagos only for the police to arrest me on January 5, for an operation we carried out in 2011.

    “It was someone who asked me to escort him to Cotonou to buy the guns. We were supposed to meet someone in Cotonou.

    “When I received my own N28m from the Alakija operation, I ran away from the gang.  Broke my SIM card and bought another line. I bought a bus which I started using for commercial purpose and my tipper was carrying sand.

    “But the tipper had an accident and killed someone. It also fell into water. I have not followed the group for another other operation. I did not go with them for the Cotonou operation in November,” he said.

    Nnamdi told The Nation he was arrested after he got a call from one of his members to bring an international passport forgotten in their operational vehicle.

    “It was Shola (Chineye David) who usually gave us information on where to rob. One Onyema contacted him for the Cotonou operation and he told us.

    “We entered the bank in the night from the back and we tied the security guards who were sleeping.

    “Victor specialises in opening saves and so, he was the one who opened the bank. We saw a bag there and used it in packing the CFA.  We released the security men after our operation.

    “When the money was shared, I got N7m, Shola N7m, Victor N7m and Onyema got up to N3m, the same thing with Nwa Father and others.

    “I bought Corolla for N1.5m in Lagos. We were not caught and we used this Sienna car for the operation.  We don’t usually have problems at the borders because they don’t check our vehicle. We hide our gins under the Sienna.

    “What we got in the Alakija operation was over $200 thousand and when we shared the money, my share was N18m.  That was in 2011.

    “From the money I bought Infinity jeep. I am not the one who built the house, it is my brother who is in France that owns the mansion at Igando.

    “I used part of my money to start importation of musical instruments which I sold at Alaba International market. I used to sell the items and started the business with N3.5m but when I made money from robbery, I started importing.

    “I was arrested when Onyema called me to bring his international passport which he forgot in  the Sienna. I did not know he has been arrested.

    “I have gone for about four operations in Nigeria and Benin Republic I have not gone to any other country. We have never killed or shot anyone because we usually go at night and don’t shoot.

    “I usually hold one of the guns and give one of my guys another one. I have never used charm but I pray before going for operation.

    “I am a Catholic, I go for confessions but I have never told the Priest that I am an armed robber. I am from Obinwa in Abia State. I am married with a child and my wife is currently pregnant. She does not know I am an armed robber.

    “When I was arrested at Ijebu it was because I had a problem with someone over a vehicle.

    “I regret my actions and I want an opportunity to change,” said Nnamdi.

    How they were arrested

    Addressing reporters before the parade the Police Commissioner, Kayode Aderanti said he got the information at about 11:30pm on that fateful day about some deadly trans-border armed robbers in Iba, Festac and Igando.

    Aderanti said upon his directive to the officer in charge of Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS),  Abba Kyari (SP), two SARS decoy teams stormed the hide out of the robbers at Victor y Estate, Iba,  along the LASU IGANDO road, where Igbonwelundu and Umeh were arrested.

    ‘Their confession led to the arrest of Chineye David, Uchenna Eze, Victor Anamalechi,  Ifeanacho Igwe,  Desmond Obinna and Nnamdi John, who is the armourer and gang leader.

    “The operational Toyota Sienna space bus with registration  number KFC and two AK47 rifles with serial numbers 3610142 and UR4341 hidden in a specially constructed compartment underneath the Toyota Sienna were recovered from Nnamdi.

    ‘The suspects confessed to several robberies including bank robbery in Port Novo,  Benin Republic,  a filling station and Bureau De Change robbers in Mali, attempted robbery of UBA Bank,  Shagamu road, Ikorodu,  several robberies in Port Harcourt,  Kano and the biggest of it all, N100m successful robbery in Alakija, Lagos from which Nnamdi John built a mega mansion at Igando and Ifeanacho Igwe built a duplex in his village in Onicha LGA of Ebonyi State.

    However, Igbi who claimed he only received N30, 000 from the group said he had no idea they were armed robbers.

    He said: “I am a bricklayer and I am from Delta State. In 2011, Friday came to my house with Nnamdi. It was in the night and they told me to excuse them.

    “I excused them and when they have finished they gave me N30,000 and I gave my wife N10,000 from the money.

    “I do not know they were into armed robbery.  I knew them before that night. But it was the only time they shared money in my house. I did not ask them why they were giving me money.

    “It was after about one year that news started spreading that N100m was shared in my house.

    “I was inside my compound in December when the police stormed and arrested me. My house is at 10, Ugwu Opera, Victory Estate, Iba.

    “It is only N30,000 I have collected from them and it was the same day that they came to my house.”

    Igbi’s claim was punctured by Chineye David, alias Shola, who told The Nation that they always shared their money in the old man’s house.

    “He is aware of our operations.  We usually meet in his house and share whatever we get in his place.

    “What I received from the Cotonou operation was N5m not N7m.  I was not with them at the Alakija operation. What I have made so far is about N6m.

    “We changed the CFA at Cotonou and we spent two days there before coming to Lagos. I got to know about the bank because my wife is from Benin Republic and I usually frequent that area.

    “I saw how busy the bank was and told my other members that we should attack there.

    “I used shaft to open the bank. I took part in the filling station operation and got N300 thousand there. I also got N600 thousand from an operation at a paint shop.

    “We have gone to another operation at Igando where tippers and trailers park and I only made N20 thousand. In all, I have made about N6m.

    “I used my money to buy a land in Owerri Town in Imo state and I also bought a car. I gave my my family some money too.

    “They do not know I am into armed robbery. I used to own a pharmacy store in Owerri but it closed down before I came to Lagos about 15 years ago.

    “I was a bus conductor when I got to Lagos but it was baba (Igbi) that introduced me to the gang.

    “He knows we go for operations and share what we make in his house.”

    To Eze, he joined the gang after and the robbers snatched a bus he was driving.

    He claimed he was given the bus to drive and make returns by one of the robbers, who is still at large but when he told the said benefactor of his misfortune, he assured him of better things.

    “He told me not to worry that he will speak to his oga on my behalf. That was how I joined the group and my job is to stay with the security guards when they arrest them.”

     

  • Police kill suspected armed robbers in Calabar

    •Mob burn another suspect

    The anti-crime patrol of the Federal Housing Police Station in Calabar yesterday gunned down a suspected armed robber after a shoot out yesterday morning.

    The unidentified robber, according to the police, was part of a five-man gang, which robbed a warehouse in the area.

    Police Public Relations Officer Hogan Bassey said: “At 2am, we received a distress call about eight miles that armed robbers were operating at a warehouse. So, we responded immediately and met them on operation. Sighting the police van, they fired shots and there was a shoot-out. The robbers were five and one of them was hit by a bullet. The other four escaped and the one that was shot ran some distance before he was caught. He had a locally made pistol and a bag containing four cartridge. He died eventually.”

    A Toyota 4runner Sports Utility Vehicle, which they had stolen early that morning from a lady was recovered.

    Also recovered was a Plasma TV set which they stole from the woman. Another locally made pistol, an iron cutter and two cut padlocks were also recovered from them.

    Similarly, a suspected member of the Skolombo Boys, a new gang of criminals terrorising the city was burnt to death by angry residents on Abua Street in Calabar South.

    It was gathered he was part of a group that went to rob in the area but residents mobilised and attacked them. The rest of the gang escaped but the boy was caught and burnt to death.

    Reacting to the development, Bassey begged residents not to take laws into their hands.

    “People should not take laws into their hands. They should apprehend such criminals and call the police immediately. We are battle ready.

    “Such criminals can give us useful information that would lead to a lasting solution to the problem. Two wrongs cannot make a right,” the PPRO said.

     

  • Robbers kill 15 in Ikare bank robbery

    Robbers kill 15 in Ikare bank robbery

    Fifteen people were killed yesterday during a bank robbery in Ikare Akoko, headquarters of Akoko North East Local Government Area of Ondo State.

    Sources said four of the victims were policemen. A police station was vandalised by the bandits.

    It was learnt that the incident started at 3pm.

    The robbers, a source said, came in two vehicles painted in military colours.  They were dressed in mobile police uniform.

    The hoodlums reportedly blew up the bank’s security door with dynamites.

    It was gathered that most of the victims were bank customers, including three who met their untimely death at the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) point.

    The robbers, who reportedly escaped through routes leading to Edo State, were said to have carted away huge sums of money.

    The town was deserted for the two and half hours that the operation lasted.

    Police spokesman Wole Ogodo said he had not been briefed about the incident.