14th March, 2011
A Lagos-based petroleum dealer, Elder James Ibidokun has lost N16 million to armed robbers who stormed his Lekki, Lagos, residence, at the weekend.
He took the money home on Friday night accompanied by his personal assistant simply called Lukman who lives in Mowe, Ogun State.
Police sources revealed to P.M.NEWS that the three robbers struck at Ibidokun’s house at about 1.42 am on Saturday armed with guns and shooting sporadically into the air. They shouted on Ibidokun persistently to open the gate.
When the security men which included a retired soldier refused to yield to the robbers’ request, they jumped the fence while the security men went into hiding.
As one of the security men tried to peep from his hideout, one of the robbers saw him and dragged him out. They forced him to lead them to his boss.
Ibidokun narrated his harrowing experience thus:
“When one of my security men called Lameen, a Hausa man, shouted ‘megida, megida, I rushed out only to see the robbers with guns. I was shocked because I was in pyjamas while my wife and two children rushed out pleading that they shouldn’t kill me.
“The robbers were polite by saying ‘please, if you want to stay alive to enjoy all you have laboured for in life, give us N16 million’. I was then thinking of what to do next whether to go to where I kept the N16 million cash.
“As I entered, leaving my wife and children behind, the three robbers followed behind. I gave them the money and told them to go with it.
“They even told me to instruct my security men to open the gate for them to pack the money into the vehicles they brought for the operation.
“Two of the robbers were already behind the steering and the third one was about to enter one of the buses, one of my security men in hiding shot him dead while others sped off with the moneyâ€.
The police source confirmed the incident, adding that they are on the trail of the two fleeing robbers.
—Oluwole Adeboye
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