‘I Started Armed Robbery After Ogboni Failed Me’ – Suspect

A public service announcement has been sent out to unsuspecting drivers against alighting to check damages done to your vehicle or exchange words when hit by a motorcycle, especially if the rider has company.

The reason is because a recent case has revealed that this method has become a means employed by robbers to snatch vehicles from motorists.

This comes as operatives of the Ogun state command Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) arrested a notorious gang of car snatchers who use this modus operandi to perpetrate nefarious activity.

Vanguard reports:

One significant trait about this robbery gang is its penchant for posh cars, preferably Toyota Camry cars and jeeps. Its members who reside in Ogun state, as gathered, travel to other states in the south west region to operate and thereafter, sell the stolen cars at give away prices to ready buyers in Lagos state.

Crime Guard gathered that the armed gang stormed Agbara area of Ogun state last month,where they blocked their victim who slowed down on reaching a bad spot,with their operational motorcycle. They thereafter, ordered the fear stricken motorist to get down from the vehicle , pointing a gun at him and thereafter zoomed off with the Toyota Camry car .  Barely had they driven off than the vehicle reportedly stopped. While they were contemplating on the next move, a team of policemen reportedly stormed on them.

Three of them were said to have fled into the bush, leaving their partner in crime, Olalekan at the mercy of the policemen. Olalekan’s confessional statement reportedly led to the arrest of other members of the gang, including a popular car dealer who resides in Ejigbo area of Lagos, who was alleged to be one of the gang’s receivers.

It was gathered that   several vehicles suspected to have been stolen by the gang were recovered from the receiver’s showroom in Lagos. Another car dealer identified as ‘Major’, who was also indicted by the suspects , is currently at large. Also, some stolen vehicles were reportedly recovered in his showroom at Abule-Egba area of Lagos.

Preliminary investigation as gathered, revealed that three members of the gang were arrested in January 2014, by policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command, over a similar case and were charged to court, from where they were granted bail.

The suspects identified as Isiaka Olalekan, Kazeem Abiodun, Rafiu Ojolowo and Ife , however,blamed their indulgence on unemployment. One of them, 24 year-old Abiodun, a Nigeria Certificate in Education ,NCE holder, told Crime Guard that he had to join the ogboni confraternity in his frantic search for money but never had his desire met .

I started with snatching female bags

In this interview with Crime Guard the suspects revealed their respective roles,with 25 -year-old Kazeem Abiodun who hails from Otto -Awori , Ojo Lagos, saying: “ I am an NCE holder from Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education , Ijanikin, Lagos. I graduated in year 2011. I have have had several jobs but made no head way. I had to join Ogboni confraternity out of frustration. Yet, I did not make any headway.

I started with snatching handbags at bus-stops, from where I met Rafiu Ojolowo. Our major place of operation was Agabra bus-stop. We were into that until wee met Isiaka who introduced us to real robbery where we used arms. I was given a pistol while Rafiu rode the okada”.

I graduated from yahoo to robbery -Isiaka

“I am a secondary school drop -out. I have tried my hands on many menial jobs without being able to feed myself. Several times, my family have suggested I got married. But no woman wanted to marry me because I have no money. I learnt tiling but could not get money to start a business of my own. I ventured into internet fraud . But because I am not educated, I could not make any thing reasonable out of it.

Along the line, I met Ife who introduced me into robbery . I learnt how to snatch cars from where they were parked , using a metal key. Our choice car then was Toyota Camry because it is easy and faster to sell.

Anytime we succeeded in moving the vehicles from where they were packed, my job would be to drive them down to Lagos , from where we would hand them over to Major , our receiver. We were initially taking it to Alhaji Balogun who has a show room ,before we switched to ‘Major’ who paid higher. For every car I took to Major, I got N10,000 to N50,000, depending on the model.

I was arrested January this year by SARS Lagos,alongside Isiaka, Ife and Bakare, over a stolen Toyota Camry car. I met one Solomon in the cell who gave me Kazeem Abiodun’s contact. Immediately I was released , I went in search of Abiodun in Agabara, from where we formed a gang of three. We initiated Rafiu Olowo, a tailor, who drove our operational motorcycle. I graduated from being the driver to the gang’s hit man ,while Ojolowo volunteered his motorcycle.

How we were arrested

All was going on well until Saturday, July 19, 2014. Three of us rode on the motorcycle. When we saw a man with a Toyota Camry coming, we hit him from behind when he slowed down on reaching a bad spot. He alighted and started speaking grammar. Before he knew it, I hit him with the butt of my gun and asked him to lie down . I jumped into the car with Afeez and sped off, while Ojolowo left with the motorcycle.

We immediately put a call across to Alhaji Balogun who lives in Ejigbo area of Isolo. But on the way, the vehicle suddenly stopped and before we knew it, we were rounded up by the police”, said the 24 year-old suspect. .

However, the fourth suspect, Afeez Bakare, claimed he never partook in the robbery. He disclosed rather that other members of the gang mentioned his name to avenge him of a previous offence.

According to the Ogun state suspect, “I have never joined them in any operation. One of them, Ife , only called to inform me that he had a RAV4 Toyota Jeep to sell. I never knew he stole it. He told me it was his and wanted to sell it because he had no money. All I did was to get him a buyer , one, Major, based at Abule-Egba, Lagos. I took them in the vehicle to ‘Major’ house in Sango and he bought the vehicle for N270,000. I was only given N10,000 .

But two months later I discovered they went behind me to sell another vehicle to Major for N750,000,without my knowledge. I was angry and decided to set them up by reporting to the Police, thereby leading to their arrest . That was a long time ago. I have not set my eyes on them . They only implicated me to revenge” said the 32-year-old suspect.

The suspects according to the Ogun State police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, would be charged to court soon, adding that policemen were on the trail of other fleeing members of the gang.