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The suspect, identified as Mr Ijare Ojo, was guarding the said employer’s house at the Dolfin Estate, Ikoyi. Angry Ojo, who used to be paid N18,000 per month, said he robbed his former boss for firing him because “of a cleaner the man was dating.” On the day of the attack, Ojo and his members waited patiently for the man to return, after tying up the security guard.
When the owner of the house drove into his premises, it was Ojo who opened the gate, but the man did not take notice because he was wearing the uniform of the security guard. Immediately the man drove in, the gang pounced on him. They cellotaped his eyes and made away with his money, which was in foreign currency. They later changed the money to naira, which was about N12 million. They also made away with his phones, laptops and I-pad.
Part of the money stolen was used in buying a second car, which the gang started using as operational vehicle to snatch cars. According to the police, Ojo teamed up with three suspected robbers early this year and robbed his master. Police investigation revealed the identity of the three other suspects as Richard Okon (29), Obiora Frank (27), and one Sunday who is still at large. Aside from Sunday, others fleeing members of the gang being hunted by police are Cyril aka CY and Chukwuma Nkem. “Ojo and his gang attacked the house at night. Unfortunately, the man was not at home. They however, met a new security guard, whom they tied down. When the man drove towards the gate, Ojo opened the gate like a security man. The man did not recognise Ojo. Okon pointed a toy gun at the man, while others dragged him out of his car,” a police source said.
It was gathered that the gang met its waterloo after the Officer in charge of SARS, SP Abba Kyarri, received a tip-off that some suspected robbers were planning to carry out a robbery operation at the Ikorodu area of Lagos. Kyarri and his men had gone to the area and laid an ambush for them. About 8pm, the suspects surfaced. In the ensuing hot chase and gun duel, Chukwuma escaped, while Frank and one Ikechukwu aka IK were arrested.
Ikechukwu later died due to bullet wounds he sustained during exchange of gunfire with the police. Their confession led to the arrest of Ojo and Okon who had escaped earlier. “I worked with Proton Security Company which posted me to Park View.
The man fired me because of a female cleaner he was dating.
Proton posted me elsewhere but I was no longer interested in security work. “I met Richard (Okon) through his girlfriend. I told him I was stranded. I had also gotten a woman pregnant at that time. I explained my situation to him. I later attempted to sell the idea of robbing my former boss to Okon, but he rejected it. I told Frank, but he showed no interest.
But suddenly this year, they both agreed to the plan. “I don’t know the total amount of money we took, but I was given N1 million as my share of the money. I bought grinding machine for wheat and cassava. I was grinding in Bariga market until I was arrested,” Ojo said. Okon is the son of a Captain in the Nigerian Army. He said he was angry with his father for marrying six wives and not bothering to send him to school.
His mother was his father’s first wife. Okon said he had worked as a farmer, then travelled to Benin and worked in a ‘beer parlour,’ after which he came down to Lagos and started selling gas. “Later, I started selling second-hand clothes. I have participated in three robbery operations,” he said. Frank claimed that his life and educational pursuit nosedived after his father had an accident and was, “no longer normal”.
In search of greener pastures, he came to Lagos in 2012, to meet his friend Ojo, who introduced him to robbery. He said: “I collected N1.2 million and an I-Pad in my first robbery operation. The second operation was in Surulere. We snatched a Toyota Camry car. CY sold it and gave me N35,000. My third operation took place at Isolo.
We also snatched a car there. The fourth operation was the Ikorodu robbery. We were going for the robbery when police arrested us. “With money from robbery, I had been able to buy a Toyota Camry car for N450,000 and rented an apartment at Owonronsoki.” Police investigators show that Okon had once been imprisoned for robbery
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