By Molly Kilete
Two members of a suspected ‘one chance’ gang have been arrested after the vehicle they used in robbing their victims in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was involved in an accident. Also, five men allegedly involved in the ditribution and sale of fake money-making chemicals have been apprehended by the police command.
The suspected ‘one chance’ robbers, who had been in the illegal business for about four years, were in the habit of picking passengers and pretending to be going their route but rob them on the way.
Police said they usually park at busy places, including bus stops, the federal secretariat, shopping malls and markets pretending to be commercial vehicles, in a bid to lure unsuspecting passengers.
After picking their would-be victims, they would be joined by other members of the gang, who would pretend to be passengers and zoom off.
Few minutes into the journey, they would force the passengers to surrender their valuables at gunpoint and thereafter, push them out of the moving vehicle.
The suspects, however, ran out of luck after they robbed a female victim and were in the process of pushing her out of the moving vehicle when they had an accident. As the vehicle came to a halt, the victim ran out and her shout for help attracted people in the area. The crowd later gave the suspected criminals the beating of their lives during which two of them escaped, while the two others and their vehicle were arrested and taken to the nearby Mabushi, police station.
Also, five persons identified as Emeka Ossai, Uzoma Arungwa, Kingsly Kalu, Ikechukwu Stephen and Mohammed Surajo, have been arrested at Dape, a satellite town in the FCT for allegedly duping people on the pretext that they would supply them money-washing chemicals.
The police recovered N45,000 which they had collected from two of their victims. The gang members who allegedly confessed that they had been in the filthy business for a long time, said they were merely trying to survive the hard economic conditions in the country.
They were arrested after two of their previous victims saw them and demanded for their money.
The argument that ensued between them attracted passers-by and a police patrol team who arrested them.
The FCT police public relations officer, Anjuri Manzah, said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.
Similarly, a 22-year- old boy, Felix Tehember, who allegedly stole his employer’s Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and sold it for N3million, has been arrested. The suspect, who was a house help at Prince and Princess Estate in the FCT, was said to have connived with four others identified by the police as Timothy Iornenge (25), James Mbaningun (26), Ishiwu Chukwudu (39) and Prince Nkem (34), to commit the crime.
The Toyota car was later recovered along Abuja/Kaduna road but the driver escaped.