Crime

How police busted ex-serviceman, father of 7, other robbers

Published

7 years ago

July 14, 2017

Olu Emmanuel

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By OKOSUN DENNIS

An Mbaise born Emmanuel Nwosu on Tuesday told National Daily that frustration and the economic circumstances compelled him to venture into the world of armed robbery for a decent living.

The 28-year-old Nwosu, with five other members of the gang identified as Ogbonna Eze (gang leader), Oliver, Joseph Ayo, Ahmed Ramoni and John Joseph, were said to have used cutlasses and dummy gun to rob some market women of 12 bags of gari at Ori-Ijebu which they sold for N15,000.

Unfortunately for them, the suspect further narrated that they were arrested by the men of the Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) in Ogun and Lagos state.

They were said to have robbed a Nissan Sienna bus, blue in colour after a distressed call that prompted men of ZIS to move into the vicinity and apprehended six of them while the bus was also recovered.

Nwosu narrates, “I was working at Ogijo in Ogun state at a factory before I was retrenched. I have tried everything to make things work out, it wasn’t just possible. I was eventually lured into this bad gang. Honestly, bad friends I associated with, frustration and the hard economic realities forced me into going for robbery.

“This is my first operation. The most painful aspect was that the bags of gari we stole from the market women have not been sold before we were arrested. Ogbonna Eze, (gang leader) led us in the operation on the 26^th June, 2017,” Nwosu reiterated.

Also paraded were another gang who specialised in gun running and had perfected plans to rob a Mirco Finance Bank at Agbado in Ogun state before they were arrested.

Olasunkami Rufus, a 69-year-old Cocoa farmer at Modakeke in Osun state told National Daily that he was confronted by a member of the gang identified as Agbede, to assist get a gun for an Honourable member of the House of Assembly in Ogun, who incidentally was a police decoy to trap the notorious gang.

Olasunkami, who retired as a soldier in 1981 from 23 Armoured Brigade, Bauchi, married two wives and had seven children. He said, “I was asked to procure the gun for them for N450,000. I met the person and he promised to get the gun.”

He further revealed that the man he met was working with an honourable and he used to see him with different types of gun hence he felt he could get the gun for him.

Other members of the gang are Taofeek Ganiyu,Sunday Ademuyewa, Alabi Tunde (35) and Alabi Kazeem (20). They have confessed to have had deals with them to get the gun for the politician with the promise of rewarding them with N200,000.

The Alabi Kazeem and Alabi Tunde, who are both blacksmith and of the same parents, explained that soon after the negotiation started, they actually got the gun but were yet to be paid before they were arrested.

Samuel Morakinyo (36), who confessed to be a former cultist said he had in the past assisted someone to procure AK 47 rifle in 2014 regretting that this one that went slur would have fetched him N200,000.

“I was called that they need a gun for election. The Personal Assistant (PA) to Honourable Taiwo met me and we discussed in Ogun state. I was promised N200,000 and I got the AK 47 for them. It was at the point of taking him to see the gun that police arrested me,” he added.

It was gathered that the Honourable was actually a non-existent politician but the police had used him as a bait to get the criminals who have been into gun running business for some years.

Morakinyo further confessed that he had assisted someone in 2014 to get an AK 47 rifle.

“When I have a client, I made contacts to get the gun for them. My role is just an intermediary.”

Asked to reveal the source of the gun he bought from the people, he added, “I don’t know where they get the gun. My business is to link a customer to them, get paid and I move on. Where they got the gun is none of my business.”

The 37-year old Samuel, a self-employed, deals on phone repairs and sale in Ibadan and was said to be arrested on the 26^th June, 2017 at Modakeke in Osun state.

“I am not happy being here. I ventured into gun running because of the money involved.”

However, the Zonal Police Public Relations, Superintendent Dolapo Badmus told National Daily that the gang had also perfected plans to rob a Micro-Finance at Agbado in Ogun state before they were arrested while an AK 47 rifle, two magazines, double barrel and 10 cartridges were recovered from the gang.

Dolapo noted that 17 suspects were involved in various form of offences, reiterating that one of the five-man gang led by Rabiu Abiodun was found with bullet wound on his left hand leading to his arrest.

Investigations revealed that he was an ex-convict who operated with a gang of armed robbers at Itori area of Ogun state. He was said to have robbed a whole street with his gang of robbers including the house of a Reverend Father and in the process, the local vigilante group engaged them in gun battle.

Other members of the gang were Segun Farike, Dauda, Olatoye Popoola. Phones, laptops, cash and a locally made pistol were recovered from them.

It was learnt that based on series of distress calls and the compelling need to clean the state of men of the underworld; under the directives of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Command, Onikan, AIG Adamu Ibrahim, they had to resort to decoy and intelligence gathering to crack the gangs.

National Daily further gathered that on completion of investigations, the suspects would be charged to court accordingly.