Posted by From Toba Suleiman in Abeokuta on
A 10-man gang of dare-devil armed bandits hijacked an Onitsha-bound luxury bus on Sunday morning and robbed its passengers of N2 million cash and goods worth N4 million.
A 10-man gang of dare-devil armed bandits hijacked an Onitsha-bound luxury bus on Sunday morning and robbed its passengers of N2 million cash and goods worth N4 million.
The bus, which took off from Kano Saturday night was robbed between Lokoja and Okenne having been diverted to Ogun State.
Speaking with newsmen at Isara Police station, the driver of the bus, Reuben Nwafor, said on Monday evening the bus was diverted to Ogun State, while the passengers were dislodged at different villages in Ondo State.
According to him, the bus which took off from Kano at 7pm on Saturday, was robbed between Lokoja and Okenne by men of the under-world who did not give notice of their intention since the jorney began.
Nwafor said the 10 robbers, who disguised as passengers at Lokoja suddenly brought out pistols, which they hid in their pockets.
He said the robbers threatened to shot whoever failed to coperate with them, and stripped all the occupants naked at gunpoint before they seized million naira worth of goods.
A 32-year-old passenger, who gave his name as Abushi Nwosu, disclosed that the hoodlums ransacked occupants of the bus both male and female and disposessed them of their belongings.
'They tied hands and legs of the driver and the escort before driving towards Ibadan," Nwosu said.The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Mr. Tunji Alapini, who told reporters how the bus was recovered from hoodlums, said his men blocked them with a trailer at Sapade, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
He said however that the hoodlums escaped in a bus, while the driver was brought out from the back of the bus. According to him, a cash of N1.6 million and goods, which he put its value at N4 million were made away by the robbers. Alapinni however charged drivers to form the habit of conducting a thorough search on the passengers who boarded their luxury buses before embarking on their journey.