“We Planned Ikorodu Bank Robbery In 30 Minutes — Suspect

 
As fresh facts begin to emerge about
the Ikorodu banks robbery
operation where N80 million was
reportedly carted away a fortnight
ago, one of the suspects has
revealed that they planned the
operation at a meeting that lasted 30
minutes.
It was also discovered that 12
members of the gang were recruited
from the Niger Delta region.
This is just as the four suspects
arrested in connection with the
operation, which lasted close to two
hours, have confessed that their
gang was responsible for similar
operations at Ijede road three weeks
before that of Ipakodo also at
Ikorodu, and that of Lekki, where
five persons, including three
policemen, were killed.
The arrested suspects include
Omoboye, alias Alarm blow, 39;
Bright, 25; Ikuesan, 37, and Abiwa,
20.
The bank robbery, according to
Bright, was carried out by an 18-
man gang.
Bright, a graduate of English/
Christian Religious Study, CRS, from
the College of Education, Ekiadolor,
Edo State, said a meeting with
members of the gang, chaired by the
gang’s leader, whose identity he
gave as Million, was held in Abule
area of Lagos same day the
operation was carried out.
‘My role’
The father of two said: “Million is
our leader. I was introduced to the
gang by a friend named Akpan.
I joined because I had no means of
feeding my family. I am a wood
logger, but business has been bad.
“Akpan took me to the gang’s
meeting same day of the operation,
on June 24, at Abule Ishawo area of
Ikorodu.
Those of us from Lagos included
myself, M. O., Kelvin, S. K. Careboy
and Million, while the rest were
recruited from Warri, Delta State, by
Million.
“He also brought eight rifles and
two pump action guns from Warri,
including the two operational
vehicles.
He taught us how to aim at our
targets during the meeting, which
lasted 30 minutes, with each of us
instructed on what to do on
reaching the venue.
“My role was to stand outside, with
one of the pump action guns,
shooting sporadically.
I was also instructed to shoot at
anyone who dared to intrude, while
the boys recruited from Warri
confronted the police.
“I had over 900 cartridges. At the
end of the operation, we escaped in
a fibre boat and went to the creeks,
where the loot was shared.
At the creeks, we analysed the
operation and Million said we did
well, promising to use us for
subsequent operations.”
‘I got N2m’
“I was not allowed to go near where
the money was counted. Million and
other leaders counted the money.
But Akpan told me they got N80
million. I was given N2 million.
“I bought a Lexus SUV for N1.5
million and I gave my wife N30,000
to enrol for an exam. I also gave
some of my friends out of it and also
bought jerry cans for my brother,
who is a pipeline vandal.
“Million instructed those from Warri
to set the operational vehicles
ablaze before leaving the scene.
That was after the numbers plates
were removed.
“He collected the cost of the cars
from the loot before sharing the rest
among us. That was my first time of
joining them. I did not go with them
to the Lekki and Ijede banks
operations.”
Lekki, Ijede’s robbery operation
On his part, Omoboye, a boat
operator, said that he conveyed the
gang to all the three bank
operations.
Omoboye, popularly known as Baba
Ibeji, said he was given N400,000
from Lekki’s operation and N2
million each from the Ijede and
Ipakodo bank robberies.
He said: “At the end of the last bank
operation at Ipakodo, my boat
developed a fault as we were
escaping. If the police had come
after us, they would have arrested
some of us. But the leader of the
gang called another boat operator to
take us.
“On reaching their hideout at Abule
Ishawo, they did not allow us in
because we were considered
strangers that could sell them out to
the police.
“I got N400,000 from the Lekki
operation, N2 million from the
Ijede’s and N2 million from the
Ipakodo operation.
“We are into illegal oil bunkering;
we vandalise pipelines and also rob
people in the creeks. I have two
wives and five children, but my
wives do not know I am into armed
robbery.
“I bought a Lexus SUV for N1.15
million, four days after the last
operation.”
Source: Vanguard