WE USED WOODEN GUNS TO ROB PASSENGERS – SUSPECT

 An alleged highway robber has told men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos, that he and his gang members used toy guns to intimidate passengers.

 It was learnt that the 37-year-old suspect, Mmaduabuchukwu Ibe, was arrested with a locally-made bullet proof vests inscribed with ‘police’.

According to police authorities, the suspect belongs to a gang which specialises in robbing commercial buses on highways.

 Ibe was alleged to have been part of a gang of armed robbers which attacked two East-bound passenger buses along Sagamu, Ogun State, dispossessing passengers of their belongings on December 31, 2013.

 During the robbery operation, the suspects were said to have ordered passengers to lie face down while they robbed them.

 It was learnt during the robbery; the robbers snatched a bus belonging to transport company, G.C Okoli and drove to Lagos State.

 It was learnt that the robbers however encountered a team of policemen around Berger Bus Stop and on seeing the policemen, they fled.

 Ibe was arrested while the others escaped.

 It was learnt that when the bus was searched, five locally-made vests with the inscription, police, were found inside the bus.

 While parading the suspect, Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the remaining suspects escaped with bullet wounds.

 Braide said they wore improvised bulletproof jackets and used tapes to inscribe ‘police’ on the polythene bag so that any driver that saw them might stop, thinking they were policemen.

 Ibe gave the names of the remaining suspects as Ike, Sunday, Miracle and Monday.

 Ibe, a native of Anambra State claimed to have recently returned from Ghana as well as Senegal, where he lived for several years.

 The suspect, who claimed to be a cart pusher, said it was poverty that pushed him to crime adding that this was his first robbery operation.

 He said the weapons they used for the highway robbery were made of wood.

 He said, “We robbed two commercial busses at Sagamu that fateful day. We did not get anything from the first bus because all the passengers ran into the bush but from the second bus we were able to capture seven passengers and we collected their money and handsets. I did not get a kobo because I did not know how much they collected and we did not share the money before I was arrested.

“We did not operate with guns but wooden and taped guns that were mere toys. I would help police to arrest members still at large and other criminals living in Oyingbo area of Lagos if I am allowed to join the police when released.

“I returned from Ghana three months ago and the gang members treated me with kindness when I was in financial distress as they purchased a wheel barrow for me. I was making a living with the barrow when they invited me to join in the operation which took them to Sagamu in Ogun State.”