By Evelyn Usman and Victor jacob
Krake village, around Seme podge in Republic of Benin, was last Friday turned into a theatre of war, following the deafening sounds of gun shots from dare-devil armed robbers.

The robbers numbering over eight, as gathered, stormed a Bureau-de-Change office in a Lagos marked vehicle, where they carried out the operation unmolested. Attempts by some policemen from Benin Republic to respond to the fire power of the armed men, reportedly proved abortive.

A man said to have attempted to block the robber’s way with his Sequoia jeep, paid dearly with his life as the fleeing robbers reportedly pumped several bullets into him , killing him on the spot.

However, the good news is that the robbers who were discovered to be Nigerians, were arrested next day inside the bush while trying to find their way back to their Nigerian base, after sharing their loot.

In this interview with some of them, Andrew Aigbomobe, who hails from Jettu, area of Auchi, Edo state, disclosed his gang’s modus operandi, revealing how the thirty- minutes operation, took two months to plan.

The thirty-eight- year old father of a set of twins also revealed that he was a member of another robbery gang. He said he recently joined the gang that carried out the operation which led to his arrest stating categorically that his wife was unaware of his robbery exploits.
He made other startling revelations about his escapades as a member of the robbery gang.
Said he:,

The Plan
The execution of the operation, according to him, took two months to plan. He said the whole thing started when one of his friends named Suleiman Monshood, from Niger, approached him at Oshodi, saying he had a job for him. “He said I should get him other people to help in the job.

He also told me in plain language that he wanted us to go to Seme border Burea-de-change to operate. I then contacted one of my friends named Martins, who also referred me to Oze and for two months, the plan on how to carry out a successful operation went on. We had the meetings in different restaurants.

But many of the meetings took place in a particular beer parlor at Igando, where five of us including Suleiman met and finalized the plans, on who to do what. My duty was to handle one of the weapons and at the same time drive. The first thing I did was to get a laissez -passer document to allow me enter into Benin Republic.

D-DAY
“Before leaving for the operation, one of our members, Oze, said he had finalized plans on how to get guns from a Naval personnel. So on that day, being Monday, I went to Seme with my C class Mercedes Benz with two other members of the gang while others went on their own to the market where the operation was to take place to study the situation. Immediately we entered the market, we started shooting.

I was among those shooting. This jolted all the traders who all took to their heels. Immediately we swung into action, some of us went for the money in both naira and CFA currencies. Some bureau-de-change operators left their money on the table and ran away while others who could not escape before our arrival at their shops, were asked to lie down and bring out their money from where they were kept.

After the operation which was successful, we escaped through inside Cotonu taking through the round about and went through Port Novo, to old Gbaji road”.

Escape at last?
After the successful operation, news of their escapade had reached police authorities of both countries who went on their trail. But the robbers, some of whom were conversant with the several unclassified routes, ran into the bush where they began sharing their loot.

They reportedly got N10 Million from the operation. However after sharing the loot, apparently thinking everything had died down, they decided to leave their hideout next day. But unknown to them, they were in for a shocker as policemen from Lagos had condoned off all routes leading into the country.

Immediately they approached the Idiroko /Badagry road, another round of shooting ensued between teams of policemen and the robbers, which made the robbers to make -U-turn. In the process of escaping, Andrew said, “a man with a Jeep tried to block us. He did not just stop at that, he came out of his jeep, removed his shirt, revealing some charms and amulets tied round his waist and stomach.

He was with a dagger and started chasing us. It was in that process that Martins opened fire on him. I also joined him and the man fell. After that, we came down from the Benz and hopped into the jeep and escaped “But their hope of escaping was dashed as they were rounded up by policemen. Some of them, as gathered, ran into the bush abandoning their vehicle.

But their lack of knowledge of the terrain landed them into trouble as they were arrested by some of the villagers who subsequently handed them to the police.

My regrets
Like every suspect when arrested, Andrew, bowed his head for a while and when he raised it, his eyes were filled with tears. Shaking his head in self pity, he said his regret was that his wife and twin daughters would be disappointed in him.

Said he, “ My wife never knew I am a robber all this while. Whenever I went out for operation, I usually told her I was going to work. She believed I worked at the Seme border. Whether I die or not, the truth is that this is my second operation. My proceed from the first operation was what I used to buy an LT bus which I was using for commercial purpose. I usually ply between Ikotun and Ikeja.

That was where Suleiman who introduced me into this second operation knew me. I also have the devil to blame because at least I was getting something from the transport business but the devil through greed made me go for this operation. My worst regret is that I failed to listen to my wife. She had told me two weeks ago that she dreamt I was arrested by the police. I never knew that was a way of trying to warn me”. Andrew stated. The weapons were given to us by a Navy man.

Another suspected member of the gang who introduced himself as Amaechi Obinna, from Anambra state, told Crime Alert that the weapons used for the operation were given to them by a Naval personnel. According to 26 year-old Amaechi, “ when I was called, I told them I knew who could give us weapons. A Naval personnel gave us the weapons. After talking to him on the phone, he said he would bring it to a particular place inside the bush, that it would raise suspicion if he took it through the boarder.

The agreement with the Naval personnel was that he would get five percent of the total amount of whatever we got. So on that day, he came as promised and handed us the guns and left with an instruction that we call him after the operation to come and get the weapons.

After the operation, we kept five hundred thousand for him, while my share was five hundred and fifty thousand naira. But it could not get to him because of our arrest”.

His claims, according to the Police, was still being investigated. But the apparent hitch in his claim is that he could neither give the name of the naval personnel nor vital details that could lead to his possible arrest.

Explaining what he described as a chain of event that led to the suspects’ waterloo, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Marvel Akpoyibo said “ when report of the raid of the armed gang with sophisticated weapons on a bureau -de-change operators and other innocent businessmen in Krake village, Seme Podge in republic of Benin, reached us, I ordered that all routes leading from Benin Republic to Lagos be sealed up to avoid a spill- over of the robbery operation taking place across the border.

I also ordered the deployment of a combined team of crack detectives from the Police Mobile
Force(PMF), Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Marine Police Unit to provide reinforcement for the police personnel from Seme and Badagry Divisions.

“In an elaborate operation that typified the true spirit and essence of community policing, a combined team of police operatives, actively supported by villagers who supplied the much needed intelligence, gave the hoodlums a hot chase, after they had slipped into the Nigerian territory through one of the unclassified routes.

The hoodlums escaped into the forest , very close to Yekeme river after being forced to abandon their operational vehicle. The entire perimeter believed to be harboring the suspects was condoned and extensively combed by police personnel. The result of the massive and well coordinated operation was profound, leading to the arrest of eight suspects including a female accomplice.

The arrested suspects are; Andrew Aigbomobe, Kingsley Okafor, Njoku Emmanuel, Martins Agbor, Chidebemu Uzigbe, Obinna Amechi, Edgar Peter and Nkiru Igboatu”

A follow-up investigation, according to Akpoyibo, further led to the arrest of another member of the gang whose name he gave as Arinze Oyiloha, adding that investigation aimed at arresting other members of the gang and their accomplices , as well as ascertaining their sources of weapons and other related issues, were being intensified.