Sun sets on armed robbers who snatch exotic cars and resell for peanuts
armed-robbers.jpg
•From right, 32-year-old and kingpin John Okeke leading his gang of armed robbers
The sun has set, and there is perpetual darkness and doom on the activities of an armed robbery gang, which specialised in snatching exotic cars from their unsuspecting victims and resold them for peanuts.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, while parading the seven men on the gang last week, at the Force headquarters, Abuja, said his men on Anti-robbery squad at Kogi State Command, caused an abrupt end to the activities of this gang. He said luck ran out on them when they attempted to escape from the state after snatching a car.
The IGP named the gang members as John Emenike Okeke alias ‘Paco,’ ‘Nwakara’ and ‘Italo’, Emeka Nwankwo Uchenna, Uchenna Oboda Igwuesi, Anthony Oputa Chibueze alias MOPOL, Oduu Ifeanyi Ihekorony Chuwudi and Obiora Obeleagwu.
He presented the exhibits found on them as Toyota Camry with registration number EBHA 13 (Ebonyi State House of Assembly) and a Toyota Hilux Pick-up with registration number FG475 E 45 (UNIZIK). Others were Toyota Hilux pick-up with registration number LB 125 AAA (HAZEDOZE Holdings Ltd), and a Honda City with number PF 9112 SPY (First Bank).
Also paraded were a Volkswagen Passat 1.8 Salon with number CL 755 ENU, Mercedes Benz 230 V –Boot Saloon with number AG 243 ABS (Kano) and a BMW 5 series Saloon with number BLN 12 Enugu, which they used for their operations.
John Okeke, also identified as the kingpin, who hails from Enugu-Ugwu, Anambra state, fielding questions from newsmen, described how they used the operational vehicles for their satanic act. He said he would drive in his own car, double-cross his victims and his gang would attack and snatch their cars at gunpoint.
"If I use my car to stop them, they will go and snatch, then go. We did it three times in Anambra and then two in Abuja. I’m very sorry if government can forgive me. I will still change. It is not in my blood", he confessed.
The 32 years-old father of three, said he started his ungodly business after he buried his father lately and his lawful business folded up. He lamented as if he used all he ever had to bury his late father and the best for him to do was to start stealing as his new and fast means of livelihood.
In his explanation, which saw the IGP in a laughing show, with support from his officers including journalists, the kingpin narrated the genesis of his said robbery act: "I started this job late last year. Formerly, I was into industry, from local level, I moved into higher level. It was when my father died; I couldn’t meet up on the business due to what they were doing to me in my village. So some of my friends, put me into this armed robbery and car snatching. I never did anything robbery except car snatching", he claimed.
John, who said he left his wife and kids at Enugu and settled at Onitsha, where he had his headquarter, claimed he has been carrying out his dirty business without their knowledge.
Claiming that they carried out only one, out of the three fold satanic mission, which is described in the holy Bible as "to kill, to steal and to destroy", the grandmaster claimed that they neither kill nor destroy any of their victims. He said whenever their victims opened their doors at gunpoint, they abandon the cars to them and escape for their lives. John said after snatching the cars, they sold them to two Alhajis, one in Minna and the other in Kano, who partnered them in the stealing deal.
"They do cheat us sir", he said. Again, the IGP, his officers and journalists burst into laughter. He lamented again: "Like the two we sold before we got this problem, he said that he will give us N600,000, but he later gave us N400,000, one jeep and one Hilux."
While the grandmaster waited expectantly at Awka for his boys to return from Minna, Niger State capital where they had gone to sell the stolen car from Kogi, so that they could share the loot, he was not lucky. His boys gave every information on him and some police detectives came calling, causing the sun to set on his dirty business.
"They got these people at Kogi that was how they gave my information, they came down to Awka and arrested me", he cried.
His second in command, Anthony Chibueze alias MOPOL also told his own story. The 27 years old, who hails from Agboru Local government area of Amambra. State, said he was instrumental to securing the arms they used for their operations.
"February, when I was looking for job, somebody introduced me to Jonny because I am a driver. So, from there he said that we would be doing a business of car dealing; that was how I started. First of all, I snatched a jeep and Hillux. The third one we snatched had security so, we left it and ran. The fourth one was the one police caught us when we were taking it to Minna.
"One man from Umolere, that all of us used to do task force work together, sold the gun they used and fought in their village. He said he had two and was using one. He said he needed to sell the second one. So I called Jonny and told him. He said he would sell the gun to us at N130,000, so he gave me the gun. I took it to Jonny and we used it to snatch that jeep. They brought the money for the jeep so he gave me the money, and I gave the man. The man took the other one to go and rob in Enugu so they killed him", Anthony claimed.
Source ;Sun News
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks