A gang of suspected armed robbers recently smashed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of Oyo State Police Command has disclosed that the guns it was using to snatch vehicles and dispossess people of their valuables were given to its members during the last election.
The notorious gang of car snatchers had been terrorizing residents of different areas in Ibadan, the state capital, and other states, before its five suspected members were nabbed by the SARS operatives and the weapons recovered from them.
The suspects’ names were given as Wale, Opeyemi, Adekunle, Owolabi and Abioye. Exhibits recovered included an English-made Pump-action rifle, a locally-made cut-to-size single barrel gun, 50 live cartridges, a Toyota 4-Runner SUV and two Toyota Camry cars, among others.
Of recent, Felele, one of the areas of operations of the gang had witnessed attacks from the men of the underworld until the suspects’ arrest by the SARS operatives.
In a media briefing held last weekend, the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude had said that the armed robbers attacked a woman, Adebimpe (surname withheld) at Felele area of the city on April 23, while armed with dangerous weapons, and had dispossessed her of her Toyota Sienna bus (2015 model) with registration number FST 924 CZ at gun point.
“After the report of the incident by the victim, a team of SARS operatives swung into action, and in the course of discreet investigation, five of the armed robbers were arrested,” Odude said.
Saturday Tribune learnt that the gang members snatched an unregistered Toyota Corolla after crossing the driver at the same Felele area and also a Toyota Camry (Muscle) at Akobo area.
In an interview with Saturday Tribune, the gang members said they engaged in car snatching to supply a buyer (name withheld) whom they linked through a friend (name withheld).
Below are the excerpts of gang members’ confessions:
Wale (38)
I am a driver and also an OPC member. About a month ago, a man, whom I knew through my friend, Opeyemi, came to me, saying we should look for other means to make additional income. He told me he had a friend who buys snatched vehicles. He asked that we should work together.
That was how we started car snatching. We snatched a Tokunbo Toyota Corolla at Felele area, Ibadan. We also dispossessed a woman of her 2015 model Toyota Sienna at Felele area on April 23.
We never saw the buyer. He usually parked somewhere to collect the snatched car keys from our link who would drive it to where he was. Once we crossed a vehicle and pulled out guns, the owners would surrender the keys. The link would then drive it to the buyer. The buyer had warned us not to hurt any of victims, saying that he would not take the vehicle if we shot anyone.
He has not given a kobo since he collected three vehicles from us. It was when we snatched the Sienna that I almost stopped our link from taking the vehicle to him. He later called me at about 2:00a.m., saying that the total money he was owing us was N1.4million. We don’t know where he was taking the vehicles we gave him.
How we got guns
The guns were given to us by politicians during the 2015 elections. But after the elections, we didn’t return them.
Opeyemi (41)
I am a driver. I lived in Lagos before I relocated to Ibadan recently. I knew our link with the buyer as a driver in Lagos and I was the one who introduced him to Wale. He told me he had a buyer for snatched vehicles. Wale and I have been together for some time. Wale called me about a month ago and said we should act on our link’s suggestion.
Adekunle (28)
I am a driver. I am an OPC member belonging to Wale’s group in Oluyole Local Government. I am one of those he liked, so when he held discussions with others, Wale informed me. Though I told him that carrying out robbery operations would tarnish OPC’s image, but when our link and others kept mounting pressure on Wale, I also bowed to the pressure. What we usually did was to trail a targeted vehicle and block the driver at a point, drawing our guns. We used Toyota 4-Runner and Toyota Camry vehicles belonging to Wale and Abioye as operational vehicles, with which we trailed out targets.
When we snatched the Sienna at Felele, I took over the driving from Ope who took it away from the robbery scene. It was then I saw a phone belonging to the victim. I took it without letting others know and gave it to my girlfriend.
Owolabi (39) a.k.a. Butter
I am a driver and an NURTW member. I am also a land speculator who used to collect money from constructing buildings in my community. I followed the gang to snatch a Toyota Camry (muscle) but I didn’t receive any payment because the buyer said it was tracked.
Ope, Abioye and I were arrested by SARS in 2016 with two pump-action guns. We were planning for a robbery when I was intercepted. We were charged to court for unlawful possession and were remanded in prison in September. We were granted bail two months ago. It was Wale who invited me for car snatching.
Abioye (44) a.k.a. Ajeraja
Owolabi, Ope and I belonged to the same motor park as NURTW members. Owolabi also used to take me to sites to collect money from those constructing buildings. I was the one who drove him to the operation where Toyota Camry (Muscle) was snatched at Akobo area.
I was also arrested with him when his brother working in a petrol station called him to come and rob a particular place. But we were arrested before he went for the operation. The pump-action belonged to Owolabi. I came out of prison in December 2016.
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