The saying that one’s wrong deeds could only be hidden for a while but one would still pay for it someday aptly describes the case of Segun Kehinde,  who is currently in police net for stealing generators with his gang members.

Segun’s case was among those the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr Tambari Yabo Mohammed  briefed the press on August 14, 2012. The suspect, along with Lukman Rafiu, who was among another set of armed robbers, were said to have stolen over 100 generators from their owners in their different homes. Not only this, they had also broken into a shop belonging to one Alhaji Tafeek Emiola at Testing Ground area of Iwo road on March 15, 2012, carting away new generators of different brands worth N1.5million.

Segun  could have easily escaped being detected by law enforcement agents as a chronic generator thief, more especially as, according to him, he had decided to stop, especially after he almost fell into police net, but the confession of Lukman after his arrest led to Segun’s arrest also.

Twenty-eight-year old Segun who said he was an indigene of Ife in Osun State, said  that his gang’s modus operandi was for him to put on a technician’s uniform and approach homes, with Lukman on the bike, saying that he had been sent to carry the generator for repair.

According to Segun, “Our operation was always easy whenever we met a family member of the owner at home. With the uniform, I would approach a house and tell whoever I saw that I had been asked to go and check the generator. The wife might tell me that her husband didn’t tell her anything, but I would pretend as if he still called me that day, saying that I should be given his number so that the wife could confirm. If she was stupid enough, she would give me, and I would pretend to be calling the man while I would be calling Lukman who would be on the bike outside, waiting for me.

“He would ask that the generator be released for me to take away, after I would have told him that the job could not be done in the house. We succeeded many times through this  but at other times, once we noticed that the people we met were suspicious, I would pretend as if I approached a wrong address and quickly escape from the area stylishly. There was a case whereby immediately I told my story to a woman, she looked at me, went inside, brought a bowl of water and poured on me, calling me a thief and warning that if I did not leave in time she would raise an alarm. I left the still pretending as if she treated me badly as I could have made a mistake, but I always knew when to leave.

“There was a day I was passing  by a house where I saw a generator outside. I felt that the people must have been stupid to have left it there. I just picked it and left. I have lost count of the number of generators we have stolen. In the operation we did in a shop at Testing ground area, we went with a bus, broke into the shop and stole 25 generators which we sold for N280,000. Unfortunately, I did not spend out of the money because another member of our gang, Jamiu, went to collect it when I was in SARS custody, and thinking that I would not come out, went away with it.

“What happened was that I was returning from the man who bought the generators from us. I did not meet him, so I was returning home. Unfortunately, I fell into an ambush laid by policemen who were on the lookout for some robbers who had earlier operated. I was detained for a while but since they did not find anything incrimating on me, they left me alone. Since Lukman didn’t see me, he believed I had collected the money and spent it alone. That was why he decided to mention my name when he was arrested. By then, I was no longer seeing him and I had made up my mind not to steal again.”

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Tambari Mohammed, however said that the suspects would be charged to court after the completion of investigations.

Police Arrest 8 Suspected Armed Robbers
The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested eight suspected armed robbers, who have been terrorising the people of Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.

Saturday Tribune’s investigations revealed that the armed robbers had, on Tuesday, around 12.30 midnight, robbed one Jummai Ibrahim and broke into many other houses on Wamba bye-pass in Akwanga town.

It was learnt further that the robbers, on the day of the operation, went away with N20,000 cash, LG Home-Theater television and other valuables.

Confirming the arrest on phone, on Friday, to Saturday Tribune, in Lafia, the state capital, the State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer (DPPRO), Cornelious Ocholi, an Assistant Suprintendent of Police (ASP) said the armed robbers were apprehended shortly after their operation.   

According to the DPPRO: “ the DPO ,Akwanga received a distress call and mobilised his men and the robbers were given a hot chase which led to the arrest of one Ahmed Abdullahi, Awalu Zanna, Saidu Abdullahi, Rilwanu Dauda, Saddam Zakari, Isah Idris, Hussaini Haruna and Musa Uba”.

ASP Ocholi said all the suspects were residents of Akwanga, according to their confessional statements, while the trio of Hamisu Sani, Danjuma Gimba and Rati residents in Abuja were at large.

The DPPRO listed items recovered from the robbers to include a locally made revolver pistol with nine rounds of live ammunition of 9MM, one LG flat screen TV 21 inches, one computer desktop, one LG home theater, four standing speakers, three blades of ceiling fan, three hand saw, four radio speakers, one Sunny DVD and one Samsung DVD.

“ Others were two boxes containing some tools, one quilink motorcycle, one stabilizer, one electrical cable, 12 fowls, two cutlasses, two knifes, two black barrets, one rechargable touch, one long sleeve shirt, one blue T-shirt, among others,” he added.

Robbers Lay Siege To Akwanga-Keffi-Abuja Expressway
Armed men on Friday barricaded the Akwanga-Keffi-Abuja expressway and robbed travellers, leaving two persons with varying degrees of injuries.

Narrating the incident to Saturday Tribune, a witness who was at the scene of the incident,  which took place at about 11:00 am said the development forced some motorists to park their vehicles to avoid being attacked by the men of the underworld, who were said to have carried dangerous weapons during the operation which lasted about two hours.

Speaking to our reporter on the incident, one of the victims who did want his name in print explained that the robbers operated unabated for more than two hours as even the policemen on patrol along Akwanga-Keffi-Abuja highway refused to go to the scene of the incident as it was gathered that the policeman who came in a patrol vehicle with registration number NPF 40498 team 121 Federal Highway patrol only made a u-turn, saying their vehicle was faulty.

Saturday Tribune further learnt that only two policemen and a driver were seen in the vehicle when they came to the scene of the incident, as it was further gathered that the Akwanga-Keffi-Abuja road has become a fertile ground for armed robbers, who reports say operate on a daily basis.

The two injured victims of the attack were immediately rushed to the Akwanga General Hospital for treatment by sympathisers shortly after the robbers left the scene.

In the same vein, six persons suspected to be armed robbers were on Wednesday night arrested by members of a vigilance group and handed over to the police in Akwanga.

Spokesman of the group who spoke under the condition of anonymity told Saturday Tribune that they formed the vigilance group in order to assist the police in the area. When contacted, police in Akwanga refused to comment on the matter as they directed this reporter to the state police command.

Speaking to Saturday Tribune on the matter, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer (DPPRO), Mr. Cornelius Ocholi, who confirmed the incident stated that as soon as they heard of the incident they ordered their men to the scene of the incident.