Posted by By Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye on
Two members of a gang of luxury bus robbers who usually hid guns in their slippers have been lynched by an angry mob. The duo, who were members of a six-man gang, were caught after boarding a luxury bus in the Iddo area of Lagos.
Two members of a gang of luxury bus robbers who usually hid guns in their slippers have been lynched by an angry mob. The duo, who were members of a six-man gang, were caught after boarding a luxury bus in the Iddo area of Lagos.
Daily Sun gathered that the robbers had given a small bag, which contained a pair of slippers to the conductor to keep in the boot. They were, however, exposed when security men at the transport company were carrying out a routine check on the luggage with a metal detector.
The luggage of the gang gave a sound when it came in contact with the metal detector and they were summoned to open their bag. When the security men scrutinized the bag, they found a pair of black slippers, which had a gun and two cartridges in each.
The mob that gathered pounced on the gang and killed two of them, Nnamdi and Sunday, on the spot while others were handed over to the police.
One of the suspects, Ikechukwu Peter, disclosed that they had robbed a Chukwujekwu luxury bus last month. He said: "We bought tickets and boarded the bus like every other passenger. We stopped the driver after customs checkpoint at Ijebu-Ode. Our leader, Nnamdi, took over the steering, while we robbed the passengers. Two of us were outside the bus, guarding it. Nnamdi gave me N9, 000 and two Nokia handsets that I sold for N6, 000 after the operation. It was after we robbed the bus that Nnamdi called me again that we had a job to do in Kaduna, though he did not give me details. We were not supposed to rob on the bus which belonged to Best Way Transport and that was why we kept the arms in the boot."
Peter, 25, further said that he joined the gang three months ago, adding: "I had tuberculosis since 2001 and went to my village in Imo State to rest. I came back three months ago and had nothing to do. I used to go to Iddo to hang around and that was how I met Nnamdi who taught me how to rob."
Another suspect, Okudele Uchendu (22), said he joined the gang through Nnamdi. He said: "I used to help luxury buses get passengers at Iddo. For every passenger I got, I was given N100. Nnamdi was a big boy at the park. He was very popular. He dashed us money at will. At times, he would buy drinks for us. He approached me and said that I was suffering and he would help me. That was how I went for the first robbery operation last month. Nnamdi was the one with the guns. Along the road, Nnamdi shot a window to scare the passengers. All I did was to collect their valuables and put them in a big bag. I was given N9, 500 and two handsets that I sold for N7, 000."
The youngest member of the gang, Ugo Okoye also said that Nnamdi was the one that introduced him to robbery. He said:"I was a conductor to a commuter bus in Anambra State. Nnamdi and I are from the same village. He called me on phone and asked me to come to Lagos because he had a job for me."
Okoye, 21, said that when Nnamdi eventually told him that he called him to rob, he could not turn back. "There was nothing I could do because he was like my big brother. I was with them when we robbed the Chukwujeku bus. My role was to search the passengers. I was given N12, 000 and a Samsung phone," he said.
The fourth suspect, Ifeanyi Ofor (22), said that he met Nnamdi through Uchendu, adding: "After our first robbery, Nnamdi gave me N15, 000 and a Nokia phone. That was what made me follow them the second time."
Confirming the arrest of the suspects, Police, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni said that the gang had been on the wanted list of the police for a while. He said: "After they robbed a luxury bus last month, we had to spread our tentacles to arrest them because they were deadly. I am glad that we were successful."