How I robbed with my AK47 dummy rifle - Confession of a truck pusher turned armed robber

By Rotimi Omole

The robbery suspect, Akeem. Photo:
Yemi Funsho-Oke.WERE you a victim of robbery attack at Premier/Dandaru area of Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State, of recent? Were you scared by the sight of young men in black uniform wearing masks while you were being robbed?

Did you ever bother to cast your mind back to the robbery attack to think that those young guys who pounced on you at a checkpoint might have been fake policemen who brandished their dummy AK 47 gun?

Crime File reliably gathered that nemesis has caught up with members of the gang as they are now guests of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) Dugbe, Ibadan after carrying out a robbery operation in the area last week.

While explaining to Crime File how the suspects were caught by his men, the State Deputy Commisioner of Police Mr. Raphael Ibeazor said that information was received from the Command’s control room that robbers were operating at Premier Hotel/Dandaru area of Mokola.

According to him, “based on the report, anti-crime patrol teams and Special Anti-Robbery Squad were dispatched to the scene. On getting there, the hoodlums who were still in action attacked the policemen thereby triggering a gun battle between them and our men. When the robbers could no longer withstand our men’s fire power, they retreated and took to flight.

“Our men however pursued them, and at the end, one was arrested while others escaped into a nearby bush.” When interrogated, the captured suspect, Akeem Bello, was reported to have revealed the gang’s hideout while police succeeded in arresting three other members of the gang namely Tunde Babayemi, Ismaila Afeeez and Sakiru Fatai and also recovered one dummy AK 47 rifle, one cutlass, a quantity of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, handsets and the sum of N17,680.

The suspect however spoke with Crime File on his alleged criminal activity. Excerpts:

What’s your name and what do you do for a living?
My name is Akeem Bello, I’m aged 24 and I’m a truck pusher.

Where are your parents? Are you living with them?
No, I’ve left home since ten years ago and lived in Lagos. I later left Lagos and settled in Ibadan.

The police reported that you confessed during interrogation that you are an ex-convict and that you had spent six years in one of the prisons in Lagos before coming to Ibadan when you regained freedom?
Yes, I have been jailed once in Lagos, I moved to Ibadan when I regained my freedom.

Can you give us an insight into the offence you committed in Lagos before you were jailed?
My brother, it is a long story, I won’t like to go into that.

Now, why are you being detained by the police?
I was accused of mounting an illegal roadblock with my gang around Premier Hotel/Dandaru.

What happened at the roadblock?
Let me tell you my brother, whatever we were doing at the roadblock, we were only imitating the police. What I’m saying is that just as the police have their road blocks, we also created our own road block around this area where we extorted money, hand sets and jewelleries from motorists that would pass through that place in the midnight.

Why did you prefer to use the AK47 dummy rifle instead of a real gun?
I preferred to use this AK47 dummy rifle because from my previous experiences, I discovered that majority of our victims melted at the sight of a gun whenever we waylaid them. They would not bother to find out whether our rifle was genuine or fake.

How did you make the dummy gun?
I just employed the services of a carpenter to help me make a caricature of an AK47 gun with planks. I now wrapped it neatly with black cellotape.

Can you simply demonstrate how you always positioned yourself most especially when you sighted an on-coming vehicle?
While three members of the gang would hide in the nearby bush, two of us would be at the roadblock, I would raise up my dummy AK 47 rifle above my shoulders. We were always in a specially-designed black uniform during operations so when you see us from far distance flashing our torchlight, you might be thinking that we are policemen the next thing would be for you to stop at our stop and search’ point.

And what would happen thereafter?
We would just approach you after pointing AK 47 dummy rifle at you. The next thing was that our victims would instantly hand over their valuables to us, we would thereafter dash back into the thick bush.

For how long have you been operating in the area before the long arms of the law caught up with you?
We had been operating in the area since February this year. While saying that the suspect would soon be charged to court after interrogation, the state Deputy Commissioner of Police however assured residents that his men would do everything possible to ensure that criminals don’t have a resting place in the state.