22nd June, 2011
The police at Owode Onirin Police Station, Ikorodu, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, have arrested five suspected robbers who hijacked a truck marked XL 698 BDG conveying a container loaded with powdered milk at Kiokio area of Ajegunle, Ikorodu.
The suspects whose names were given as Sunday Nwankwo, 34; Stephen Onuaku, 27; Okorie Kelechi, 35; Osita Onuoha, 32, and Michael Okorafor, 28, riding in a Volkswagen bus marked XV 242 LND at about 3.30 a.m, were alleged to have intercepted the truck on its way from Apapa Port to PZ factory in Ikorodu. They were said to have taken one Obinna Aginna who was escorting the goods hostage and tied his hands.
P.M.NEWS leant that luck ran out on the suspects when an anti-robbery patrol team sighted the escort with his hands tied in the bus and forced it to stop. While the police were untying Obinna who had already told the police what happened, the container was sighted heading back to Ketu and the police control room was immediately alerted.
The suspects were said to have been chased to Aswani area on Oshodi-Mile 2 Road where Sunday Nwankwo, the driver, was arrested.
During interrogation, Stephen Onuaku told the police that Sunday Nwankwo contacted him for the job and they both recruited Okorie, Osita and Michael.
The confessional statement, P.M.NEWS learnt, led the police to Festac where Okorie Kelechi, Osita Onuoha and Michael Okorafor were arrested.
They were said to have been taken to Owode Police Station where they also confessed to the crime.
The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba.
—Yusuf Mohammed
