•How we operate in Abuja, push victims out of moving vehicles –Suspect
From Molly Kilete, Abuja
A 30-year-old suspect, who has been involved in “one-chance” robbery operations for three years, has narrated how he built a house, bought two cars and opened a wine shop from proceeds of his illicit business.
The suspect, Hyacinth Avetse, said he was introduced into the criminal business by one of his brothers after Fulani herders destroyed his farmland in Benue State. He said he and his gang members sometimes made as much as N500,000, on a good day. They would share after deducting money spent to fuel their operational vehicle.
He said apart from farming, he used to be a phone technician before he joined the criminal gang. The suspect was among the seven arrested by operatives of the Special Task Force set up by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Command, to wipe out “one-chance” robbers.
Hyacinth told Daily Sun said his journey into “one-chance” robbery started with pick pocket to a driver. He started driving a taxi with which they used to lure innocent passengers and robbed them of their valuables including money:
“Firstly, we make sure we operate with vehicles that have no registration number plate so that we cannot be traced. We also like to use tinted vehicles so that the police and other people around will not know what is happening inside the car even if we park close to them during our operations.”
They were also always with POS machines: “If the passengers tell them they don’t have money on them, we will demand for their ATM cards and make withdrawal on the spot. After that, we will push them out of the moving vehicle.
“Another way we use to rob passengers is that we will go to strategic locations that are very busy and have lots of passengers. Three of us will be in the vehicle and then we will start calling a particular area for passengers to board.
“After the passenger enters the vehicle, we will move. After some seconds we will tell the person that the transport fare is N1,500, for a place that is usually N700 or N800. The passenger will say he will not pay that amount and will ask us to drop him.
“While all the talking is taking place, my colleagues will have succeeded in robbing them of their phones, laptops and monies before we drop them off. By the time they realise that they have been robbed we are gone.
“Another trick is that after we carry them and move. One of us will pretend he wants to vomit and asks me to park for him to go down. While this is going on, the passengers will be feeling sorry for my colleagues.
“At the same time, we will rob him of his valuables. And as soon as I stop the vehicle, the passenger will come down. Before he knows what is happening we will zoom off.
“At the end of every operation, we will go to a drinking garden, calculate everything, remove the money for fuel and share the remaining money equally. In the case where we have mobile phones, we sometimes sell them off as second hand phones and share the money. We do same to laptops and other valuables we get from our passengers.”
Hyacinth said he never knew a day would come when he would be arrested: “I have been doing “one-chance” now for three years. I have been able to build a house of my own by the grace of God. I have bought two cars with which I used for operations. I also opened a wine shop at Ado, where I live and sell all manner of drinks.
“I never knew that the police would arrest me one day because I have been very, very careful. What I do is that I usually swap the vehicles that I use for my operation.
“Like now, if I use my Toyota this week, I will use my Lexus the next week to avoid arrest. That way, the people we rob will be looking out for that particular car and will know I am the one if they see me with the Lexus.
“I feel very bad. I want you to help me beg the police because I am a married man with two children. I used to repair phones, I am also a barber. If they leave me, I will never do one chance again. I have never killed anybody since I started three years ago. I have never pushed any passenger out of my vehicle. It is my colleagues who always push people out.”