Posted by By Philip Nwosu and Christopher Oji on
In one fell swoop, the police in Lagos have smashed a gang of bank robbers who have also been linked to other crimes.
In one fell swoop, the police in Lagos have smashed a gang of bank robbers who have also been linked to other crimes.
Some of them were said to have encountered the police on Lagos Island while trying to rob a GSM shop on Awolowo road, in Ikoyi.
Daily Sun learnt that luck ran out on the suspects, when the information filtered to the police, who quickly moblised a crack team of crime fighters to bust the rampaging robbers.
At the end of the gun battle that ensued, a policeman was injured, while the suspects were riddled with bullets and brought to the police headquarters, Ikeja bleeding all over.
However, one of the robbers was said to have escaped the attack, but his four colleagues who were unlucky were brought before reporters half dead.
While the police were still talking about the encounter, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) brought in four men who were described as specialists in moving cash from one bank and lodging it in another.
The four-man gang allegedly robbed a branch of Zenith Bank in Lagos where they stole N1.4 million which hey had attempted to lodge in another bank in the Okota area of Lagos.
Identified as Udoye Kingsley Chukwuemerie, Emeka Anaga, Chibuzor Onwudiegwu Ezeokoye and Mathias Okeke, the first two men were said to have been arrested while attempting to lodge the money into another bank in the Okota area of Lagos.
But Mathias Okeke told Daily Sun that he was not a robber and had never stolen. "I reported myself to the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) when I was told that my wife was arrested by men of this department."
Okeke said he was a builder in the Aguleri area of Anambra State and had never been to Lagos all his life, except for the present situation that brought him to Lagos. He explained that he was called by his brother in Venezuela to make his account available for the transfer of fund.
He said he had to open an account with Zenith Bank to facilitate the transfer of N420,000 from his brother, who, according to him, had given specific instruction for the money to be used for the building of a house.
"While I was going to this bank, another call came into my handset. The caller told me he was a friend to my brother who stays in Venezuela and that he had instruction from my brother to pay the money into my account, that I should make my account number available," he said, adding that he was surprised how the caller got his number. He said he was still pondering this when he learnt that his wife had been arrested.
Looking very disturbed, Okeke said he never knew who the strange caller was until he was brought to Lagos by men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad.
"If I will die, let me speak so that the world will hear me, I am not a thief, I have never stolen, I was called by SARS to say how these people got my account number and that is why I am here," he added.
Apart from these suspected bank thieves, the police also paraded a gang of commercial bus robbers commonly called "catch in the air."
The thieves were identified as Pere Actor, Onyeka Benedith, Amanwe Ibifa, Stanley Preyesia and Ikemena Obotoh.
The state Police Spokesman, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni said they specialised in snatching of commercial bus for robbing unsuspecting passengers.