LAGOS—As fresh facts begin to emerge about the Ikorodu
banks robbery operation where N80 million was reportedly
carted away a fortnight ago, one of the suspects has revealed
that they planned the operation at a meeting that lasted 30
minutes.
It was also discovered that 12 members of the gang were
recruited from the Niger Delta region.
This is just as the four suspects arrested in connection with the
operation, which lasted close to two hours, have confessed that
their gang was responsible for similar operations at Ijede road
three weeks before that of Ipakodo also at Ikorodu, and that of
Lekki, where five persons, including three policemen, were
killed.
The arrested suspects include Omoboye, alias Alarm blow, 39;
Bright, 25; Ikuesan, 37, and Abiwa, 20.
The bank robbery, according to Bright, was carried out by an
18-man gang. Bright, a graduate of English/Christian
Religious Study, CRS, from the College of Education,
Ekiadolor, Edo State, said a meeting with members of the
gang, chaired by the gang’s leader, whose identity he gave as
Million, was held in Abule area of Lagos same day the
operation was carried out.
‘My role’
The father of two said: “Million is our leader. I was
introduced to the gang by a friend named Akpan. I joined
because I had no means of feeding my family. I am a wood
logger, but business has been bad.
“Akpan took me to the gang’s meeting same day of the
operation, on June 24, at Abule Ishawo area of Ikorodu.
Those of us from Lagos included myself, M. O., Kelvin, S.
K. Careboy and Million, while the rest were recruited from
Warri, Delta State, by Million.
“He also brought eight rifles and two pump action guns from
Warri, including the two operational vehicles. He taught us
how to aim at our targets during the meeting, which lasted 30
minutes, with each of us instructed on what to do on reaching
the venue.
“My role was to stand outside, with one of the pump action
guns, shooting sporadically. I was also instructed to shoot at
anyone who dared to intrude, while the boys recruited from
Warri confronted the police.
“I had over 900 cartridges. At the end of the operation, we
escaped in a fibre boat and went to the creeks, where the loot
was shared. At the creeks, we analysed the operation and
Million said we did well, promising to use us for subsequent
operations.”
‘I got N2m’
“I was not allowed to go near where the money was counted.
Million and other leaders counted the money. But Akpan told
me they got N80 million. I was given N2 million.
“I bought a Lexus SUV for N1.5 million and I gave my wife
N30,000 to enrol for an exam. I also gave some of my friends
out of it and also bought jerry cans for my brother, who is a
pipeline vandal.
“Million instructed those from Warri to set the operational
vehicles ablaze before leaving the scene. That was after the
numbers plates were removed.
“He collected the cost of the cars from the loot before sharing
the rest among us. That was my first time of joining them. I
did not go with them to the Lekki and Ijede banks operations.”
Lekki, Ijede’s robbery operation
On his part, Omoboye, a boat operator, said that he conveyed
the gang to all the three bank operations.
Omoboye, popularly known as Baba Ibeji, said he was given
N400,000 from Lekki’s operation and N2 million each from the
Ijede and Ipakodo bank robberies.
He said: “At the end of the last bank operation at Ipakodo, my
boat developed a fault as we were escaping. If the police had
come after us, they would have arrested some of us.
But the
leader of the gang called another boat operator to take us.
“On reaching their hideout at Abule Ishawo, they did not
allow us in because we were considered strangers that could
sell them out to the police.
“I got N400,000 from the Lekki operation, N2 million from the
Ijede’s and N2 million from the Ipakodo operation.
“We are into illegal oil bunkering; we vandalise pipelines and
also rob people in the creeks. I have two wives and five
children, but my wives do not know I am into armed robbery.
“I bought a Lexus SUV for N1.15 million, four days after the
last operation.”