Lagos police arrest 5 suspected trans-border robbers who raided haulage company’s warehouse
The police in Lagos on Monday arrested five alleged trans-border robbers fleeing into the state after robbing an Ogun State based haulage company’s warehouse.
Police say the 9-man robbery gang was led by a 33-year-old Cameroonian national, Ahmed Ibrahim, and one Obinna, who is now at large along with three others.
Lagos police boss, Imohimi Edgal, while parading the suspects today, said that they were intercepted at Toll Gate border of Lagos and Ogun State by a patrol team of Rapid Response Squad stationed in the area. They were chased by the team when they refused to stop, before they later halted at Meiran Junction, Lagos.
Four other members of the gang who were arrested were identified as: Kelechi Nebu, 30; Ndueso Sunday, 45; Tochukwu Egemuka, 33; and Obinna Oforkaja, 30.
Police recovered one Volvo truck, 13 units of truck tyres, 1 refrigerator, 26 gallons of 4 litre engine oil, 24 gallons of 25 litres of engine oil, two batteries, assorted charms, one cutlass and two knives from the suspects.
The haulage company’s security guard, Kenny Peters, said: “I was doing the rounds when they held me from the back. They wanted to shoot me first but one of them cautioned them that it won’t hurt me. They macheted me in the forehead and beat me with all manners of rods including truck wheel spanners. They tied my hands to the back and carried me to one fence, thinking that I was dead.
“They looted the company’s store and were set to go when I woke up. I hung on to the back of the truck from Dalemo, Sango Ogun State to Toll Gate, where I saw RRS Team. I alerted them and they chased the truck to Meiran Junction, where they were forced to stop. Four of them fled while 5 were arrested.”
Sources within the company told the police that Ahmed, leader of the gang, was the brother of the haulage firm’s former security guard, who in a similar operation stole about 100 truck tyres from the company in August 2018.
Ahmed was said to have confessed that he recruited Obinna, who mobilized seven more robbers, for the operation.
Police also arrested the driver of the truck, 33-year-old Kudus Adebayo, while investigation is ongoing to arrest other members of the gang.
