Gyang Bere, Jos
Nemesis has caught up with Shauibu Mohammed and Gyang Davou, two members of a dreaded group of POS robbers, who trademark was to kill their victims in pure, gruesome, Mafia-style way, after stealing from them.
Until the ended for them following their arrest, they had made life a perennial fear for the residents of Kufang, Miango, Dadin Kowa and Zaramaganda in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The suspects had for long terrorized POS operators within the Jos-Bukuru metropolis. They robbed and killed victims, particularly those they believed would recognize them after the robbery.
In one pathetic incident, when Shauibu and his dreaded group stormed the shop of Alihu Musa, a POS operator on Kufang Road, Jos, he attempted to resist them, and they shot him on the leg. The gang the proceeded to ransack the place and took about N200,000 in cash. Done with the robbery, they then shot him dead and left him in a pool of his blood. It was pure, gruesome, cold-blooded Mafia-style killing.
Few days after, Davou Gyang, another member of the gang also robbed a POS operator in Dadin Kowa, Kabiru Inusa Kasbiru, who gave them a good fight. To escape from the tight corner, they shot him in the leg in front of the shop. When Kasbiru screamed out for help, the first person that came out was also shot. This struck fear in other people who got scared and did not come out to render help to the victim. The robbers then escaped before the arrival of the police.
Apparently emboldened by the gang’s string of successful robberies, Shauibu laid siege to the shop of Grace Ogbonna, located along Zaramaganda Road in Jos as she was nursing a two-month baby. She was shot twice on the thighs. Fortunately, the bullets missed the baby. Both mother and child fell down with the baby crying while the mother writhed in pains.
In the course of investigation, the police was able to obtain actionable intelligence on the gang and then stormed their hideout in Alheri, a community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The police arrested Davou and Shauibu in the home of their friend, where they were brainstorming on where to visit for their next robbery.
During an interaction with Sunday Sun, Davou claimed that he was not aware that his friend, Roger, was taking him to commit a robbery until they got to the place. That was when he found out that Roger was an armed robber.
His words: “It was in the night of that fateful day when I visited my friend. He told me that I should take him to Dadin Kowa and I was the one driving the car. When we got there, two of them entered the shop and collected money from the POS operator but nobody was killed that day.”
Davou who is a welder and married with two kids said N20,000 was given to him out of the money which he used to buy foodstuff for his family. I don’t know how much was collected from the man but N20,000 was given to me after the robbery. I am seriously regretting my action; if I had known from the beginning, I wouldn’t have gone there with them but it was when I got there that I discover that it was robbery and there was nothing I could do. I had to join them.”
Shauibu while admitting that he took part in the robbery in Zaramaganda, however, insisted that nobody was killed in the incident.
“I took part in the robbery in Zaramaganda. We were three in number, others escape but I was arrested by the police. I don’t know where my friends are, I will not do it again,” he said.
Kasbiru, the POS operator in Dadin Kowa, fortuitously survived two gunshots fired at him when the gang struck at his shop.
Recounting what happened that fateful day, Kasbiru told Sunday Sun: “I do my business at 2nd Gate Dadin Kowa, Jos, I sell recharge cards and I use a POS to send money for my customers. Around 9.00pm, two people came to my shop and asked me to bring my bag and I asked them which bag. And they said the bag that contained my money; I didn’t know that they were robbers.
“They brought out their gun and pointed it at me. I asked them what they wanted and they said I should give them my bag. Immediately one of them shot me in the leg. I gave them the bag and he shot me again on the other leg.
“They left Immediately with the bag which contained over N1 million in cash and recharge cards worth N800,000. When I shouted, ‘Thieves, thieves’ they took to their heels and people came out and took me to the police station to give my statement.
“After one hour thirty minutes, I was taken to Plateau hospital for treatment. I was admitted for two weeks. While I was in the hospital, the same armed robbers came back to the area and shot my neighbour who was also running a POS business to death and carted away with his valuables.
“When I was in the hospital, I learned that robbery took place in several other places. Fortunately for us, the police were able to arrest the suspects and then invited me to police headquarters, and I was able to identify the two people who robbed and shot me.
Kasbiru expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Police and said his life would be danger if the Police allow the suspects to go free on the streets without detention.
“I am happy with the effort of the Nigeria Police even though the country is now in danger because of the prevailing security challenges. The Police have tried by arresting the suspects that robbed and shot me in my shop. When the incident happened, people prayed that God would reveal those behind it and I can say today God actually heard the prayer of the masses. On behalf of people who were also robbed, I am pleading that these people should not be released. The government should take serious action against them would serve as deterrent to others.
“We will not be happy if these people that we have identified as the suspected robbers that committed the crime against us and killed some people are released back into the society tomorrow. We have identified them and if they are allowed to roam the streets again, our lives will be in danger, I know that they can shoot some of us to death if they have the opportunity.”
Grace Ogbonna who also survived the robbery with her three-month son urged the government to take stringent measures against the suspects.
Ogbonna who was seen at the Police Station, holding the baby with her husband, said she was yet to recover from the gunshot injuries inflicted on her.
She recalled the horrifying experience this way: “It was about 9.00pm when we were closing our shop at Zaramaganda that two people came into the shop and demanded for my money. When they first came in I thought they came for transaction. They pushed me and my husband inside the shop and asked me to bring out the money. I said there was no money. They shot me on the thigh and started to search for the money. When they saw it, they took it and my stock of recharge cards and left the shop.
“I am happy that when the police called me today, I was able to identify them. They should not be allowed to go free. Government should take serious action on them because they have killed several people. I escaped narrowly that day with my baby.”
Plateau State Police Commissioner, Isaac Akinmoyede, assured that the suspects would be made to face the wrath of the law.
He gave an account of how the police broke the case: “On September 26, 2019, operatives of the Special Armed Robbery Squad (SARS) under the Command arrested a five-man gang that specialised in snatching cars and robbing POS operators in Jos and its environs. We recovered two foreign made pistols, one locally made revolver pistol, 11 pieces of 9mm live ammunition, one Peugeot 406 car with registration number DKA 944 BG.”
Akinmoyede said the suspects confessed to having robbed a POS operator at Kufang Miango road in Jos and shot the victim dead. He said they also confessed to having robbed and killed another POS operator in Dadin Kowa while they inflicted gunshot injuries on one woman in her POS shop in Zaramaganda in Jos South Local Government Area. He assured that the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.
The police commissioner also enumerated other recent successes recorded by the police command in the avowed goal of combating crime and reducing criminality in the state. The police boss in the state briefed newsmen in Jos on Thursday said the arrests were made in pursuance of the objectives of Operation Puff Adder, which is ongoing.
Akinmoyede explained that seven suspected kidnappers broke into the house of Laben Fidelis Danladi of Ungwan-Rina village in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State. They abducted him and demanded N2 million as ransom for his release.
He said N1.2 million was paid to the kidnappers before the victim was released in August, 2019, but the police trailed the suspects through intelligence tips, leading to the arrest of Ibrahim Ali Kuru, identified as the gang leader.
The police commissioner further disclosed that members of a vigilante group detained, tortured and killed one John Yakubu who refused to pay a certain Gabriel Monday Dahwal the sum of N3,000. It emerged that Dahwal had given the deceased beef worth N7,000 and he had been paid N4,000, with N3,000 left outstanding. When he could not secure payment of the balance, he reported the matter members of the local vigilance group operating at Trade Centre in Jos South LGA, who detained the victim and tortured him to death.
He said the arrested four suspects were arraigned in court and remanded in jail pending the conclusion of the trial. Akinmoyede commended the collaboration with other security agencies, noting that this had contributed to sustaining peace and security in the State. He urged the public to always provide useful information to the police to help it operate effectively in checkmating crime.