In
an attempt to escape arrest by a team of policemen on patrol on the LASU-Isheri
Expressway on Wednesday, a robbery suspect, Godwin Ibe, narrowly escaped death
in the hands of a mob in Lagos.
Ibe, 29, was apprehended by some
members of the Odua People’s Congress keeping the watch in the neighbourhood,
in a manner that was reminiscent of the Aluu killings, at about 6 am with a
shotgun and four live cartridges allegedly found on him.
Some moments before he was caught with
the weapon, policemen patrolling the expressway had demanded to know the
contents of the polythene bag in his possession. But scared that he might be
discovered, he beat a hasty retreat and took to his heels.
CRIME DIGEST learnt
that in order to prevent him from escaping, the patrolmen raised the alarm and
followed him in a hot chase.
The sound of running feet attracted
the attention of the resident OPC vigilante group. The latter joined in the
chase and eventually caught up with the fleeing suspect.
But Ibe denied ownership of the gun
found in his possession. In an interview with CRIME DIGEST, he said, “I
came to that area in the morning at the behest of Moses, who is a friend of
mine and a fellow armed robber. On the previous night, he told me that he was
travelling and requested me to come get his gun for safe keeping. I agreed and
sometime before 6 am the following day, I was on the LASU/Isheri Road.
“Usually, members of my gang often met
with Moses in an oil pipeline area just off that road. Moses is the leader of
our gang. I have known him for five months now. A mutual friend introduced him
to me at the Abuja Line in Alaba International Market. He keeps the arms that
we use during our operations. After he handed his gun to me, I bade him
farewell and started walking back home.”
Ibe admitted that on his way home he
ran into the police patrol team at about 6 am. “The policemen stopped me and
asked me about the contents of the bag I was carrying. I was scared and I
couldn’t think up an excuse. So I ran away. But they raised the alarm and ran
after me. Before they could get to me, some OPC men caught me. They checked my
bag, saw the gun and immediately realised that I was a robber.
“The OPC men beat me with pieces of
wood and anything they could lay their hands on. They were about to set me on
fire when the policemen, who had been chasing me, arrived on the spot and
stopped them.”
Nursing two head wounds and deep
lacerations on his body, Ibe regretted his actions. He said, “I was arrested in
2010 and was jailed. I served at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison for armed
robbery. At the time, I was into bag snatching and I was arrested during an
unsuccessful operation. I was eventually released early this year from prison
and travelled back to my home state.
“I didn’t return to Lagos until
August. Starting life afresh was very difficult for me at the time. Although I
am a trained mechanic, I tried my hand at being a casual worker at the Badagry
beach. It was not profitable. Sometimes you made sales and at other times, you
didn’t. I got tired and eventually approached Moses for help.
“We met regularly at a joint
where Indian hemp was sold in the neighbourhood. But that was after he had been
introduced to me. I told him that I needed his help and I has having difficulty
making ends meet.
“Moses took pity on me and asked me to
join his gang. Often, we would operate around the petroleum pipelines at Ojo,
Okokomaiko and LASU. At first we started with bag snatching, harassing women
who walked on the expressway in search of commercial motorcyclists on their way
to work.
“Eventually, we changed tactics and
started to attack traders. Most of time, our victims were the traders who
left their homes before 6 am to take their wares to the market. They always
carried some money on them. Since we were four in number, we would surround our
victims with two in front and then, rob them of their bags and goods.
“The goods were usually taken to the
premises of a public primary school located near the road. That is where we
often met after every robbery to share our loot. We didn’t even make much money
because the news of our robbery attacks often spread and other traders became
more cautious in the end. I got involved in robbery because I had nowhere else
to go. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos
State, Mr. Umaru Manko, confirmed the arrest. He said, “Ibe was rescued and
arrested by a police patrol team attached to Satellite division. He was
eventually transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad last Friday. Efforts
are being made by the investigating SARS team to apprehend the remaining three
gang members.
“However, this has been made more
difficult because Ibe lost his phone while he was being mobbed by the OPC
vigilante. He no longer has the contacts of his accomplices and has no idea
where they live.
“Ibe confessed that the gang usually
met at a certain location on Allen Avenue in Ikeja before any robbery attack.
Investigation is still ongoing and the suspect will be charged to court upon
its conclusion.”
Source: Punch
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