Soldier leads robbery coordinated from prison

The Oyo State Police Command on Thursday paraded a dismissed soldier, Isiaka Abubakar, 34, and an accomplice, Saheed Akangbe, 24, after they were arrested by a police patrol team for robbing an owner of a Toyota Camry with number plate KJA 89 ER.

The State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude, said that Abubakar was dismissed from 1 Division of the Nigerian Army for various criminal activities. He added that three cut to size guns, 25 live cartridges and expended cartridges were recovered from them.

Odude said that the operation of the robbery gang was coordinated by an inmate of Ibara prison in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Ismaila Adeosun. He added that Akangbe was an ex-convict who was released from Abolongo prison in April this year.

Odude said, “Until their arrest, the two suspects belonged to a dare devil armed robbery gang which specialised in snatching posh cars in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and neighbouring states. The robbery operations were often coordinated by Adeosun who is serving jail term in Ibara prison in Abeokuta. They were arrested by a patrol team from Iyana Offa police station on September 22, 2017 at about 2.15am.

“Further investigation led to the recovery of another Toyota Camry with number plate AGL 45 CW in Abeokuta which was also snatched from its owner. They will be charged to court as soon as possible.”

Abubakar said that he spent eight years in the Army and that he was dismissed as a Lance Corporal. He said he participated in a peace mission in Sudan and that he was deployed in Borno State in the war against insurgents.

He said, “After our return from Sudan, our commandant said that we were still gallant so he drafted us to confront Boko Haram in Borno State. Twenty four of us were drafted there but many of them died so I went on AWOL. I relocated to Lagos and that was where I met the gang. I left my ammunition in Borno. I only went to Lagos with my uniform. My major task for the gang was to escort snatched vehicles with the uniform. I did not take part in the robbery or shooting.

“On the day we were arrested, we were coming from Lagos with the car. We entered Ibadan late in the night and decided to sleep in the car because we could not get the address of the place we were going and it was dark. We were in the car when police caught up with us. The car has a tracker which they used to locate us.”

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