allAfrica.com: Nigeria: End of the Road For 'One Chance' Robbers (Page 1 of 1)

The saying that everyday is for robbers but one day is for the owner fits two young men who were caught at the popular Oshodi Oke in Lagos.

John Eke, 23, from Rivers State and Aremu Ismaila, 22, from Lafenwa in Ogun State specialise in dispossessing passengers of their belongings in commercial buses along Mile 2, Oshodi expressway. Eke who disclosed that his father is a serving soldier in one of the military cantonments in Lagos said he got himself involved in robbery popularly called "one chance"when he went to stay in the house of his friend Kingsley at Ogba while working as a factory staff in order to reduce the cost of transportation to office.

It was during this period Kingsley introduced him to a 'business' that would fetch him quick money than the factory salary he was collecting. He gave the names of other gang members involved in the 'one chance' business as Sunday, Okpor, Papa John, Tunde and Kingsley, his boss.

His confession

"I am John Eke, a son of a serving military officer, and we reside in the cantonment. My mother is a nursery school teacher. I schooled at army children school. I got involved in robbery when I went to put up with Kingsley while working in a factory at Ogba. Kingsley too was a factory worker.

He said he would help me to make money quickly by being the conductor of a commercial bus where Aremu was a driver already. We operated on Mile 2, Oshodi expressway and I solicit (shadow) people to the bus and we would collect what they have including their money.

I had done it for just seven times and we didn't make plenty money because the highest money I collected was N5000. At times I got N2000 and sometimes as low as N500. I can't lie to you because I am already in police custody. We did the operation usually when we knew workers had gone to their offices and there was less traffic on the road.

We were not using gun or juju on our victims but we were using Mercedez Benz jack which was always with the driver and he will press it to make it sound like gun. We were many doing this job whose names I know but have not been arrested like us. They are Sunday, Okpor, Papa John, Tunde and Kingsley who have run away for fear of being arrested.

My parents were not aware I was doing this type of job because I made them believe that I was getting my money from the factory work I was doing. I was only being stupid and it has led me to where I found myself. My father did not even look for me but my mother came here to check on me. I beg Nigerians to help me. It was stupidity that led me to this. If I can be free from this, I will never move with bad group again." He looked at his right leg which had swollen up and oozing out water. (He sobbed).

Aremu who looked like a teenager said he was already 22. He was the driver of the bus used for the 'one chance' business. He claimed that he was staying with his grandmother after the demise of his mother at Ayobo and he learned motorcycle mechanic which he did not practice because of thirst for a quick way to make money.

Aremu walked into robbery at Oshodi where he loitered to see if any commercial driver could hire him as conductor. One driver called Akeem introduced him to Kingsley who gave him bus to work with to be paying N32000 at the end of the month. One day , Kingsley called him to bring the bus to Oshodi after which they went out together with another driver who drove the bus. It was then that it dawned on him that they were using the bus to rob people of their belongings. After the first day, he started driving them and refused ro pull out for fear of being killed by the gang leader who had threatened to kill him if he spilled the beans.

Aremu who looked as if he had already accepted his predicament the way he was staring at me said no relation knew where he was because her grandmother is already old and no one would ever think he could get himself involved in this kind of 'business'.

His confession

"I am Aremu Ismaila from Lafenwa in Ogun State. I learned to become motorcycle mechanic after my primary school. In my aim to get quick daily money, I decided to be going to Oshodi Oke to see if any commercial driver could hire me as bus conductor. It was there that one Akeem introduced me to Kingsley that I was looking for job. Kingsley gave me a bus at hire purchase after testing me for driving without giving him any money because he knew I could not take away his money since he knew Akeem. I started plying Oshodi to Ikotun and other routes.

That was around March last year and one day he just called and asked me to meet him at Oshodi with the bus. Kingsley told me to buy cigarette for him which I did and he forced me to drink one big Stout which I had not taken before. He then asked me to follow him in the bus with other people I met with him and another person drove the bus. It was in the course of our going out that I knew we were robbing people. When we came back, he gave me N2000 and threatened me not to tell anybody what happened that day.

After that day, I was the one assigned to be the driver anytime we went out. I had done the job more than fifteen times. That was what we were doing until we were arrested at Oshodi Oke by some area boys who trailed us from Ilasa bus stop after a tip off by one of the passengers we had robbed."

Meanwhile the suspects are awaiting trial at Panti.

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