A 33-year-old robbery suspect, Humphrey Aimodu, has confessed that he organised the armed robbery gang that recently robbed and killed an Assistant Superintendent of Customs, ASC Aliyu Adamu at Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos.
The Edo State-born clearing and forwarding agent said he took the decision because he was broke and needed money to “have a good time during the last Xmas and New Year celebration”.
Aimodu’s atrocity came to light shortly after the kingpin of the robbery gang he connived with, was apprehended by the police.
Police sources said the kingpin, Lucky Williams, gave out Aimodu’s name as the mastermind of the attack on the customs chief during interrogation.
He was also said to have confessed that one of his gang members, Bolaji, killed Adamu for not cooperating with them when they wanted to collect his bag containing money.
Four other suspects: Fayero Egbato, Bolaji Taiwo, Samuel Akinjoye and Abraham Lots were also arrested in connection with the incident.
In a chat with newsmen, the mastermind of the robbery incident, Aimodu said he only contracted the robbers to rob the custom officer and not
to kill him, adding that he told the boys not to use guns while robbing the officer. He said: “ It all started on December 20, 2016 when I was having a conversation with one of my colleagues, Edet Bassy, a clearing agent. I told him how broke I was since we weren’t working the way we used to as the price of Dollar has affected the volume of importation.
I told him I had no money to celebrate the Christmas with my family and he suggested we could rob ASC Aliyu working at the Second Gate, where he checked and signed clearing documents. He told me that the man normally took N8million home daily and he had been monitoring the officer for a long time. He also said that sometimes, he observed that the man also changed the money to dollar so that it will be easy for him to carry. “He told me that he could not do the job because the man knew him and I also told him that the man knew me as well.
Then, we settled that I should arrange some boys from outside who would do the job. I then called one of my friends known as Samson, an Ilaje boy, who lives in Tolu area of Agegunle, and I know that he is familiar with bad boys operating around Tolu. He then linked me to one Abraham Lots, who he said could do the job. By the evening of the next day, Lots sent two of his boys to me and he asked me to take them to the gate where the officer worked. I took them there and showed them the man.” He added: “After some hours, they told us that they could carry out the operation as they weren’t fully prepared. Then I told them not to use guns when they wanted to rob the man.
On December 22, around 9pm, they called me and said that they had robbed the man and they asked me to meet them in Adidas field, Tolu . When Edet and I got there, we saw more than eight persons and I learnt that they made use of gun during the robbery incident. Then, I asked why they fired the man and they told me that the man tried to struggle with them when they wanted to snatch the bag and they shot him on the leg. “When they opened the bag, I saw N500,000, I took N50,000. The next day I heard that the customs officer was dead and he was killed by armed robbers.
I sensed trouble and I stopped going to work.Then on the December 28, 2016, Samson called me and said some of the boys who carried out the robbery had been arrested by the police and he said I should not go to Tin-Can, that the police were looking for me. I went back home and moved my wife and children to Mowe Ibafo where I was eventually arrested on January 2017.
It was the devil that led me into this.” Before Aimodu ended his statement, another suspect, Samuel Akinjoye, said: “I am a local fisherman and I am also into oil bunkering and that was where I met Lucky. I stay at Mogaji area of Ajegunle with my wife and children. Abraham Lots, who we normally call Ibro, called me and told me about the job then I called my friend, Lucky, and we all met Samson who gave us three days to do the job but I told them that I did not have a gun. When they took us to the man, I discovered that we could not rob the man with bare hands, we needed a gun.
The next day, Lucky brought one Bolaji who had a gun and I took them to Samson and Lots and they told us not to kill the man that we should just collect the money from him and that I should get a motorcycle, while Lucky and Bolaji should get a speed boat which we would use for our escape. I took the bike to Second Gate and Humphrey asked us to wait for the man while he came out. While we waited, Humphrey informed us that the man was coming and I alerted Lucky, Bolaji, Ibro and Ochuko, who attacked the man. But before I got to where they were, I heard a gunshot.
I didn’t know that the man was killed.” Another suspect, Lucky Williams, who was alleged to have snatched the bag containing the money from the customs officer, said: “ When we held the man, he was struggling with us and was fighting everyone. Bolaji was the one holding the gun. I didn’t know what came over him and he shot the man who then released the bag immediately. I ran with the bag and we all escaped through the waters to Tolu where we shared the money.
I also got N50,000 as my share.” Contacted, NCS Public Relations Officer, Tin- Can Island Command, Uche Ejesieme, said the officer, until his death, was attached to the Ashaye exit gate of the port and was killed at about 10pm on his way home from work. He said:” The officer was blocked while on a bike around National Filling Station close to Tin- Can and the late officer had a little scuffle with the assailants while they attempted to snatch his back pack.
His body has been transported to his home state in Kastina, for burial according to Islamic rites.” The Nation’s investigation revealed that following the report of the death of the customs officer, the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, swiftly deployed his operatives at the IRT to trail and apprehend all the suspects involved in the killing. Sources disclosed that a mobile phone belonging to the deceased was trailed to Tolu area of Ajegunle and found on one Lucky Williams, who eventually confessed during interrogation to have taken part in the operation.
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