By Ifeanyi Okolie

UNARGUABLY, the joy of Mr and Mrs Alaba Akinde knew no bounds when his snatched Toyota Camry car was  recovered by the police.

The vehicle was reportedly snatched during an armed robbery attack at  Mangoro Bus stop along Abeokuta-Agege Motor Road by four heavily- armed hoodlums.  Reports said, the gang had been terrorizing Idiroko borders and environs,  dispossessing motorists of their valuables including GSM phones.

After the car was snatched, the middle- aged man gave up hopes of recovering his  dream car following the  closeness of the scene of the attack to the neighboring Benin Republic.  But detectives attached to the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad (Fed. SARS), Adeniji -Adele, Lagos, proved him wrong.

Police Sources intimated Crime Alert that the gang had masterfully avoided the normal route leading to Benin Republic, due to the heavy presence of security men, and  had gone through the lonely Ajilete axis.  But  unknown to them,  operatives from the FEDSARS were on routine  patrol in the area.  It was gathered that immediately the police sighted the approaching  Toyota Camry, they flagged it down severally, but the driver ignored them and rather sped off into the dark bush. This aroused the suspicion of the policemen who immediately went after them.

According to sources, as the chase continued,  it became  apparent that the police might lose the fleeing bandits as they were driving at neck-breaking speed.  The police then fired into the air to force the vehicle to a stop, but the driver sped on.  Later, they shot directly at it and got him on the limb and that made him to stop.    But other members of the gang took to their heels and disappeared into the dark forest.

When the police arrived the scene, they arrested the injured suspected armed robber, and recovered  a locally- made single barrel gun,  loaded with four live ammunition and four mobile phones.   The suspect, whose identity was given as Afisu Adekunle, a citizen of Benin Republic, is currently being treated inside the cell at the FEDSARS,  Adeniji Adele, Lagos Island.  When interviewed, he told Crime Alert  that  he was not an armed robber but  a car smuggler, locally known as fiaya wo’  and that he was contracted by the gang  to help ferry the stolen car out of the country.

The recovered car

According to him “ I am not aware that the  car was stolen when they asked me to take it out of the country for them. I am a car smuggler.   I am not an armed robber. I did not know where they got the car from because I  was not interested in that. I was only interested in the N20, 000 they had promised to give to me.   I don’t  have their identities.

When they called me to help them smuggle the  car out of the country, I asked them  how they got my phone numbers and they told me not to bother, and all I should care for was my pay and a I obliged  and followed them.  They explained that they only wanted me to go along with them so as to lead them through the bush part because they were trying to avoid the security men on the major roads”.

When asked why he did not stop when the police flagged them  down, he quickly retorted; smugglers to stop for policemen?   Smugglers don’t stop for policemen while moving in the night. As I have told  you, they  contracted me  because they needed  a good driver who could manoeuver through the bush parts  and also ram over barriers. They actually asked me not to stop  and that I should keep moving.

Though we drove very fast and  they (police) could not march our speed, they would have caught me if not for the bullet that  got me on my  right hip. Please tell them that I am not an armed robber but a smuggler, the gun they found is not mine, it belongs to those boys”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer at the FSARS (ASP) Lekan Ogundare   who confirmed the report refuted claims by the suspect of being a smuggler and not an armed robber, describing him as a ‘cheap liar  trying to save himself some  face’.

According to him, “the owner of the Toyota Camry when he was called identified the suspect.   He identified Afisu as the man who held a gun to his head and ordered him out of his car and he was also the one who drove away with his car. That suspect is trying to buy himself some time and it is normal for criminal suspects to deny  their involvement in crime.  It is unfortunate  that he was hit by a bullet when he refused to heed to our call  for stop,  but  he is currently been treated and we are appealing that he opens up and help us nab his cohorts.      The recovered vehicle  has been  released to it’s owner”,  he stated.