LAGOS SEPTEMBER 15TH (URHOBOTODAY)- The five-man gang, who raided and robbed the Jos, Plateau State home of Ogenyi Onazi, defensive midfielder of Super Eagles of Nigeria were arrested on Thursday by Lagos State Police in Ajangbadi, a Lagos suburb.
The Lagos State police boss, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the suspects at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday confirmed the arrest.
The 5-man gang identified as Kingsley David, Ugochukwu Ebuka, Osita Ezeamu, Ali Audu and Joseph Ozo confessed to have raided the Jos home of the Super Eagles Player three days ago, before they were arrested on Thursday in Lagos.
It would be recalled that the suspects had attacked the footballers aged father, Mr. Wilson Onazi and made away with his ATM cards, some cash and his white Toyota Highlander jeep with registration number JMU 300 AA.
Although the robbery had occurred in Jos, Plateau State, Urhobotoday learnt that police detectives led by the Divisional Police Officer, Alim Musa, a Chief Superintendent of Police arrested the hoodlums at Ajangbadi area of Lagos state while attempting to sell off the Toyota Highlander car to a prospective buyer.
Lagos State Police Boss, Fatai Owoseni disclosed that the criminals were probably heading to seme border, Badagry where they intend to sell of the car before they were arrested.
Owoseni, who said the suspects and the exhibits would soon be transferred to Plateau State Command for further investigation and prosecution, added that it was a testimony that policing has no boundaries.
He said, “The Nigeria Police Force under the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, is well more positioned. The police is also poised to ensure that no matter where the crime is committed in any part of the country, the police headquarters has given teeth to bite to the commands.”
Narrating how they executed the robbery, the mastermind of the act, one Kingsley Davis disclosed that the victim was their neighbour at Jos,Plateau State, adding that he was the one that brought up the idea before others bought into it.
According to him, “My team members are my neighbours and friends. We were just discussing when the idea came up. Contrary to what they said, we did not beat him up. We only used the knife to tell him we wanted to borrow his car for the Sallah break.
“After the operation, we had left Jos and came to Lagos to meet our contact person. We were on the way when somewhere in Ajangbadi, the police stopped us. The rest is history.”
Corroborating Davis story, twenty six years old Ugochukwu Ebuka said although six of them planned the attack, it was only three of them that participated in the operation.
Hear him, “It took us one week to conclude plans of how to carry out the attack. It was Kingsley who brought the information about the house. On that fateful day we arrived at the house around 10am.
“Joe knocked on the gate and few minutes later an elderly man emerged from inside the compound. He opened the gate. At first we did not know that it is Onazi’s father. Three of us tried to force our way into the compound but the man resisted. He appeared drunk that morning so we over powered him. We wrestled him to the ground. We told him we were not going to harm him and that we only wanted his money. We discovered that the old man live alone. There was no guard at the gate. No cook or wife, but just him alone in a big house.
“Joe held a cutlass but we did not use it on him. We asked for money but he said he had none. We searched the seating room. Later we went into his bedroom. I think he gave us just N5000 and his ATM card. We took a bag containing two pairs of canvas on our way out.
“We collected the keys of the Toyota Highlander packed in front of the house and drove away. We threw the ATM card away because it was not functioning. It was Kingsley who organized the operation but he did not participate. Kingsley was angry with the old man because he felt that he was not assisting anybody. He lives alone and never bordered about any other person.
“It was Kingsley who also planned our movement to Lagos. He told us that he had contacted someone. When we left the place we hid the car at Feringhana area of Jos to allow the heat to die down. Three hours later we headed towards Lagos.
“We arrived Ajangbadi on Tuesday and we stayed in an hotel. We met Osita Ezeana at a drinking joint at Ajangbadi. We told him we have a car to sell. We had not agreed at a price when the police arrested us.”