The suspects |
Four months after the murder of a post-graduate student of
Nassarawa State University, Cynthia Osokogu by four men, five suspects have
been arrested in Lagos for drugging and robbing commercial bus passengers at
various points in the metropolis.
The suspects, Chibuike Mbakwe, Tochukwu Eze, Ifeanyi Okeke,
Chidi Eze and Okechukwu Mbakwe are said to be members of a syndicate that
specialises in robbing unsuspecting passengers in commercial buses by offering
them sachet water laced with sedatives.
Last Tuesday, Chibuike, Eze and Okeke boarded a commercial
bus in company with four others in the Ikeja area and headed for Yaba. Unknown
to them, it was in the same bus that they robbed a sedated passenger the
previous week.
Also, they were unaware that the driver of the vehicle had
reported the incident to the Sabo Police Division and he had been advised to
watch out for a future occurrence.
Little did this driver know that fate would bring the same
group of robbers into his bus again.
A report gathered suggests that the leader of the
gang, a 30-year-old suspect known simply as Chioma, is currently on the run.
Usually, his method is well rehearsed. He would sit close to his victim and
beckon on another member of the gang who pretends to hawk sachet water by the
roadside.
Chioma would then purchase a sachet of water with N20 and
ask for a balance of N10. When the ‘hawker’ hesitates, Chioma would buy another
sachet and offer it to his victim on the pretext of not wanting to forfeit the
balance.
Naturally unaware that it had been tampered with, the victim
would accept the offer and drink the water. Everything happens within a few
minutes.
As expected, after about 10 minutes or so, the victim
becomes drowsy and eventually falls asleep. Everything of value in the
possession of the victim is then stolen by Chioma who later alights from the
bus before its final destination.
In an interview with CRIME DIGEST, the suspects
said the effects of the sedatives usually wore off after three hours.
Describing how he got involved with the gang, Chibuike
said, “The leader of our group is Chioma. I met him in Alaba market in 2011. At
the time, I was trading in phone accessories. After we became friends, he told
me how he was able to rob people by sedating them. Eventually he convinced me
to abandon my trade and join his gang.
“Chioma always picked his victims. I don’t know how he
chooses them. All I did with the rest members of the gang was to gang around
the bus park with him and board the same bus with him. This will enable the bus
to fill up faster and our presence close to Chioma also provides cover for his
activities.
“I have no idea how the sachet water is laced with
sedatives. A full bag, except one sachet of water is usually laced with
sedatives and packaged before it is brought to the park.”
Unfortunately, he was unable to identify what substance was
mixed with the ‘pure’ water.
Okeke was identified as the ‘hawker’ in the gang. Only last
year, he had returned to Lagos from his hometown in Anambra State.
He said, “After I returned to Lagos, I worked with some
drivers who smuggled rice and other items from the seme border into Lagos as a
bus conductor. On our way back to Seme, we would pick up passengers. About a
month ago, Chioma and his gang boarded the vehicle conveying me.
“While we were on our way to Seme, I noticed Chioma
carefully searching his victims’ pockets and stealing their money. I was
surprised and wanted to raise the alarm, but he silently pleaded with me not to
talk. He took my phone number and promised to settle me.
“When we met a few days later, he gave me N500 and persuaded
me to join his gang. He said it was a lucrative venture. I believed him and
abandoned my job. Yet, all I got in the month I worked with him was N8, 000 and
two Visa brand cell phones. I was making far less than what I earned while on
the Seme route. I believe Chioma was cheating me.
“Before every outing, Chioma would meet me somewhere and
give me a bag of sedated pure water to carry. I would then accompany the group
to the motor park of their choice and hang around any bus they board until
Chioma calls on me,” Okeke said.
However, Chidi denied his involvement with the group. “I
admit that I was once involved in this trade. But since I returned from
Kirikiri prison a few months ago, I have gone back to selling phone accessories.
I don’t play this trick anymore. It was on Tuesday evening that I learned from
Okechukwu through a phone call that my brother had been arrested by the police,
but I didn’t bother because I had earlier warned Tochukwu of the consequences
of his actions.
“I was surprised when in the early hours of Wednesday
morning; some SARS operatives came into my compound with Tochukwu and
Chibuike. They had come to arrest me.”
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Umaru Manko,
confirmed the arrests, adding that the gang was apprehended by members of the
National Union of Road Transport Workers in Ikeja.
He said, “They were about seven in number at the time and
had boarded a bus which unknown to them, they had boarded the week before.
“The driver was already on the lookout for them, but it
was the conductor who noticed that the same group of persons had boarded the
bus before. When he raised the alarm, other members of the NURTW present at the
scene tried to round them up. The prime suspect, Chioma, fled with three
others. Efforts are being made to track them down.
“Although Chidi and Okechukwu were not present at the scene,
they have been identified as members of another group involved in the same
crime. When Chibuike came to stay with his elder brother, Okechukwu admitted
taking Chibuike along for a bus ride to CMS with another colleague, Goddy.
“Goddy had tutored Okechuwku in the trade at Cotonou where
he formerly resided. Chibuike watched as his brother and Goddy practiced
their art on their unsuspecting victim and coming away with a laptop and phone.
“Both Chidi and Okechukwu have been previously arrested,
tried and remanded in prison for this same offence. While Chidi had served time
at Kirikiri prison, Okechukwu served time at Ibarra prison. All suspects will
be charged to court at the conclusion of our investigation.”
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