MOHAMMED Nura, a 33-year-old indigene of Kano State, rode like a colossus in the crime world until his arrest by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State police command. He was alleged to be a receiver of stolen and snatched vehicles, having formed alliances with different robbery gangs before the door was shut against their criminal activities after the snatching of a Honda CRV in Lagos State.
The suspect was said to be skilled in moving the stolen vehicles to Niger Republic where they were sold to unsuspecting persons. He was said to have remained on the wanted list of the police for about five years.
Saturday Tribune gathered that when he learned about the arrest of some members of one of the gangs, Nura fled to Niger Republic. But he was lured out by greed after a member of another gang called and informed him about some available ‘merchandise.’
He was arrested in Nigeria while negotiating with the gang member by a team of SARS operatives from Lagos, who had technologically monitored his movements.
Nura was recently paraded at the Lagos State police command with members of the two robbery gangs he worked with. Members of one of the gangs include Chekwube Stanley Emeka, Ejike and Nanven Ndam Bali. Jacob Ali, Yohanna Titus and Augustine Richard, all of whom are graduates, belong to the second gang.
Recovered from them were two locally-made guns, four live cartridges, one Honda CRV with registration number LSD 322 CK, a Peugeot car with registration number AU 380 KWL, a Toyota Camry with registration number GRZ 42 AA and a Honda Accord car with registration number KSF 95 DB.
Below are excerpts from the interviews with the suspects, conducted at the SARS office:
Mohammed Nura
I am from Kano State but based in Kafanchan, Kaduna State. I am married with two children.
What is the offence you were arrested for?
I was arrested for buying stolen property.
Why did you choose that kind of business?
I didn’t choose it willingly. I was a butcher but I started buying stolen vehicles in 2012. One Samuel introduced me to the business. I met him in Abuja. There was one boy who gave me a car to sell for him but I didn’t know how to get a buyer. I kept the car for almost three months. One Suleiman in Kafanchan later promised to link me with a buyer. He called me Samuel and we exchanged numbers.
Samuel later called me and asked how I came about the car and I confessed to him that it was a ‘problem’ car. He directed me to a man in Kano called Bashir. That was how I started the business with him. He used to take the vehicles we received to Niger Republic to sell.
I met Titus Yohanna’s gang in 2013 and I was given only one car. We didn’t meet again until the day I was arrested when they called me that they had another vehicle. Chekwube’s gang had given me five cars
How did you meet Chekwube?
I met him through one Sunny who is based in Abuja. I was in a police station over a vehicle and when Sunny sighted Chekwube at the same station, he told me about Chekwube, saying that he used to give him ‘market.’
How do you feel after your arrest?
I feel very bad because I had a business I was doing. I was in Agege abattoir in Lagos for almost 10 years. I advise everyone not to go into crime. I remember when my wife would wake me up in the night and plead that I should stop receiving stolen vehicles. She said that she was ready to suffer and would continue to be my wife if I didn’t have enough money to feed her.
When I got information that the police were looking for me, I told my wife about it and she advised me to change all my lines and travel out of the country. I went to Niger Republic but got arrested the day I came back to Nigeria. I have not made any fortune from crime; I don’t even have a personal house. Right now, my wife is back in her father’s house with my two children (starts weeping).
Chekwube Stanley Emeka
I am from Asaba, Delta State. I am 32 years old and married with three children. I am based in Lagos. I attended the University of Lagos between 2000 and 2005, after which I obtained a degree in Accounting. I served in Anambra State.
After service, I tried to get a job by applying to several banks but I was not successful. I started working at Wharf, Apapa, Lagos State, as a clearing agent but travelled to Cote d’Ivoire in search of a better life. I returned to Nigeria and travelled to South Africa in 2011. I stayed there for almost two years before coming back to Nigeria.
When did you start robbery?
I started robbery in 2014, out of greed. I wanted to get out of Nigeria with my entire family and that required a lot of money.
Why did you choose the path of crime to make such money?
I don’t know what came over me.
How did you come about the idea of engaging in robbery?
I was working with one man, Mr John, at Seme border. I used to help him bring cars into Nigeria. He has left Nigeria for overseas. When he was travelling, he gave me his locally-made guns to keep for him. I believe he was using them to protect himself, not for robbery.
A man in Cotonou, Benin Republic, who was working with Mr John at Seme had earlier given me the idea of snatching cars. He told me that people used to bring cars and if I could get some people to give me cars that I would bring to Cotonou, I could make some money.
I started using the guns to rob. I called my friend, Ejike, in 2014 and told him we could make money from using the guns to steal cars. Ejike offered his Honda car to be used for our operations.
At which places did you operate before you were arrested?
We operated at Onipanu, Ilupeju, Fadeyi and OPIC areas of Lagos.
What was your mode of operation?
Whenever we saw a vehicle parked with the owner inside it receiving a call or engaged, we would tap the window, show our guns and ask the person to come down from the car. We usually operated around 8.00 p.m. Our gang consisted four members – Ejike, Nanven, me and Tony, who is on the run. We have snatched Toyota Corolla, Mercedes Benz 4matic, Honda vehicles, Crosstour and others. They are up to 10 but we abandoned some because they were tracked.
How did you carry out the last operation that led to your arrest?
We saw the car parked at OPIC area, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Ejike and Tony came down from the vehicle and approached the owner. After taking control of the vehicle, they moved forward a bit and I joined them. I took it from them and delivered it to Nura’s boy, who was waiting for us at Berger.
Who is the receiver of the vehicles you have snatched?
It is Nura Mohammed?
How did you come in contact with him?
I met Nura in a police station in Abuja when I went to bail someone. He was also there to negotiate the release of his car impounded by the police. He approached me and said he was dealing in genuine and stolen cars and that I could be bringing cars for him.
How were you arrested?
I went to Berger in response to Nanven’s call to meet him there. On getting there, I was surrounded by policemen. I have not made more than between N500,000 and N600,000. I have used part of the money to process my travelling.
I feel so bad after my arrest. I am pleading for leniency. I am willing to write an undertaking that I will not get involved in crime again. For the sake of my family and my children, I don’t think I can go into such a thing again, because I love them so much. It is a shameful thing to be paraded as criminals.
Ejike Chukwuemeka (31) from Enugu State
How did you get into robbery?
I was into selling women wears before joining a robbery gang in 2014. It was Chekwube who shared the idea with me. I agreed to join him because I had problem with my business and I needed to raise money to bring revive it. I explained to him that I needed money and he promised to provide it.
But I did not see him for a while. When I saw him again, I reminded him of our agreement and he promised to introduce me to a business, from which I would make money. That was how I got into robbery with him and I have not got more than N300, 000 as proceeds.
Which position did you occupy in the gang?
I was the second in command.
How do you feel after your arrest?
I feel so bad. I don’t know how to explain my foray into crime.
How many victims did you shoot?
I have never shot anyone. I have never heard the sound of a gun. I don’t even know how to use it. I have only held it.
Nanven Ndam Bali (39) from Plateau State
I was a driver with a freight forwarding company. I did odd jobs after leaving the company. I joined Chekwube’s robbery gang in 2014 after I got a respite from the injury on my leg.
How did you sustain the injury?
I was shot by the police in 2009 when I was trying to escape. I was operating One Chance (robbers who disguise as driver and conductor to rob passengers) with a friend, Sule. We didn’t use any weapon; we only used threat. When police chased us and tried to stop our vehicle, the friend ran away. As I wanted to alight from the bus, they shot at my left leg to stop me. After investigation, I was granted bail and my family took me to my state and I was admitted in a hospital. My leg became deformed and shorter than the other.
I have been struggling for survival since then until I received a call from Chekwube. I met him years back at Maryland, Lagos. He asked me to come to Lagos so that he would introduce a business to me. I came and he opened up to me that we would be snatching cars. He said my role would be to drive our operational vehicle and use it to block any car the gang liked. I agreed to the plan.
I needed only N200, 000 to start my life but the business was not going smoothly. Some of the cars we snatched were tracked and we usually abandoned them those that were engraved.
I was arrested through a phone I got from one of our victims and I used to call my female friend. I was in a guest house at Meiran area on January 26 when I was arrested.
Jacob Ali (28) from Kogi State
I hold a degree in English from the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. I finished in 2010 and did my youth service in Katsina State. I sold phones and recharge cards. I was also into properties.
When and how did you start robbery?
In 2014, I was depressed because I didn’t have money to pay my house rent. I met my friend, Titus, and explained my predicament to him. He told me he would take me to a place where I could get money to pay my rent. He said we would ‘take’ a car out of a house and sell it.
The pressure from my landlord was too much so I followed Titus. In November 2014, we went to a house. We hit the door of the house with a stone and when it gave way, we harassed the occupants with cutlasses. We collected the key of the Camry found in the compound and handed the car to Nura to sell. I received N30, 000 from the sale.
How were you arrested?
I was sleeping in my room in Keffi when policemen from SARS, Lagos, came to arrest me.
Titus Yohanna (31) from Nasarawa State
I have BSc degree in Political Science. I finished in 2012.
I started robbery in November 2013. We used to go to Abuja to look for job and would come back in the evening, unsuccessful. I used to know Nura way back while I was in the university. He used to visit the university and would ask me to help him look for girls. He used to play football also.
The idea of stealing cars came to me and I sold it to my friend, Jacob. He accepted. We tried several times but we were not bold enough to carry out the operation. We were able to do it eventually.
After the first operation, Jacob told me that we should stop using a fake gun, saying that he had someone whom he could get a gun from. He spoke to his friend, Augustine and he agreed to give us his gun. Contrary to his claim, he knew what we wanted to use the gun for. He warned us never to fire the gun and we swore to abide by the warning. I collected the gun and kept it with Jacob.
After mounting surveillance on where we were to operate, Jacob fell ill so I asked a young boy, Nicholas, to go with me. We collected a car and after leaving robbery scene, I gave the young boy the gun to keep so that I would not move about with it. I was arrested when I went to give the car to Nura. We went to Nicholas’s house at 3a.m. but immediately the sound of a car, he jumped through the window and escaped with the gun. Though I smoked marijuana while in school, I stopped in Part 2. So, I was not under the influence of any drug.
How do you feel now?
I feel so bad. I have disgraced my people. When I went to give Nura a car, we were inside the car when SARS rounded us up.
Augustine Richard (30) from Kaduna State
I live in Kafanchan. I am a graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. I studied Animal Science and Fishery. I finished in 2012. I have been practising my profession by rearing fish. I also breed foreign dogs for sale.
I had never been a criminal or indulged in stealing before. Last year, my father was killed alongside two women and children by Fulani herdsmen. After the incident, people came to offer condolences to my family. Someone came and said there was the need to protect ourselves and he offered to help me get a gun for this purpose. Since I got it, I have never used it once.
I was going to Benue State in January to fertilise fish for someone. Jacob happens to be my friend. His parents live in Kafanchan and I have never known him with any crime. He knew I had a gunand he asked me to leave the gun for him when I was going to Benue. I did but I later returned to get some injections for fertilization. I asked him of the gun and he answered that his brother came home from the seminary and he didn’t want him to see it.
He said that his friend, Titus, took the gun out for a ‘package.’ I asked him what he meant and he said that his friend was using it to snatch cars. I started calling Titus to retrieve the gun from him but we could not find it. It was only the bullet that was found with him. I didn’t know initially that they wanted to use it for crime.
Source: Tribune
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