January 18, (THEWILL) – A 7-man armed robbery gang, specialising in hijacking trucks loaded with companies’ goods along Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode Expressway have confessed to seizing items worth N25,688,000 since they began operations in Ogun State
The goods included pampers, Nutri-C drinks, Blue band and Honey-well flour belongings to different companies operating within the state.
The suspects are: Onyebuchi Nwafor, Idakole Benjamin, Ibrahim Musa, Abolade Shola, Ikem Ejimofor, Adebayo Jamiu and Ayeye Edwin.
They were arrested following a distress call received at Odogbolu divisional headquarters on December, 8, 2021, at about 3pm that a gang of robbers had blocked the expressway and hijacked a truck loaded with blue band products, belonging to Unilever Nigeria Plc along the Expressway.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed this to newsmen in a statement in Abeokuta on Tuesday.
Oyeyemi said that the robbers overpowered the driver and motorboy, took them to the bush and tied them down before taking away the truck.
He said that the DPO Odogbolu division, SP Awoniyi Adekunle, on the strength of the distress call, quickly led his patrol team to the scene, but the hoodlums had moved away from there before their arrival.
The Police PRO said they started tracing the hoodlums based on the description of the hijacked truck and efforts paid-off, when the truck was sighted at Nairaland area of the expressway moving towards Ijebu-Ode road.
He said the police on sighting them gave the suspects a hot chase and three among them, Ibrahim, Shola and Ayeye were arrested, while others escaped with a Honda space waggon car.
“In the morning of the same day, the escaped ones contacted a lawyer and informed him that the police had unlawfully arrested some of their friends.
“They engaged the service of the lawyer to solicit for their release from police custody.
“On getting to the office of the DPO, the lawyer was told to produce those who briefed him about the case before those in police custody can be released.
“The lawyer there and then called them to come as the case is about to be settled. The duo of Nwafor Onyebuchi and Idakole Benjamin who was later identified as a dismissed police sergeant came around and they were subsequently arrested by the DPO and his men.” he noted.
The Police Image Maker further said that on interrogation, the suspects confessed to being the ones who blocked the expressway and hijacked the blue band loaded truck from the driver after tying down the driver and his motorboy.
He said the suspects had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation on the order of the Commissioner of Police, CP lanre Bankole.
Oyeyemi said that the suspects, while confessing to the SCIID, after thorough investigation, revealed that they have so far hijacked four trucks loaded with different types of goods, such as pampers, Nutri-C drinks, Blue Band and Honey-Well flour.
He said that the value of the hijacked goods so far by them is estimated to be N25,688,000
“They confessed further that they have a ready-made buyer, one Alhaji Jamiu who lived in Kwara State. The said Alhaji Jamiu was traced to Erin-Ile in Kwara State where he was promptly arrested.”
“Their major receiver and financier Ikem Ejimofor was traced to Jakande Estate, in Lagos where he was also arrested.”
“While Alhaji Jamiu confessed that it was his own truck the suspects used in blocking the road when the last truck was hijacked, Ikem Ejimofor on his part confessed being the receiver of all the robbed goods which he bought at a very ridiculous price.” he added.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of police, CP Lanre Bankole who commended his men for their painstaking investigation has directed that the suspect must be arraigned in court without delay.
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