The police in Lagos have arrested a dismissed naval officer, Lawal Alli, who led five other gang members to allegedly hijacking a truck with goods which were valued at N20m.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the truck, marked LSD782XB, was hijacked by the suspects around Navy Town, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos State on Friday, November 14.
Our correspondent gathered that Alli and other suspects ─ Babagana Muhammed, Muhammed Yinusa, Bello Umaru, Muhammed Tasiru and Abdullahi Bundi ─ were arrested by policemen attached to the Department of Operations, Lagos State Police Command around the Isheri-Berger area on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
They were thereafter transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the hijacked truck, driven by one Mr. Ganiyu Mustapha, was conveying iron sheets and rods to Apapa, when the suspects snatched it. They were allegedly driving through the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when they were arrested.
Speaking with our correspondent, Alli confessed that it was one Alhaji Ibrahim who gave the gang information about the truck, adding that the robbery operation was the second he would coordinate.
He said, “I was a naval officer. I worked as a seaman at a naval base in Port Harcourt. I was conscripted in 2006 and dismissed in 2010. I was dismissed because I abandoned my duty post. After that incident, I came to Lagos.
“One Alhaji Ibrahim introduced me to the business. He is a businessman in Lagos. The police are still searching for him. He gave us the information about the truck and goods. He told me to arrange and hijack it.
“I had my uniform on and so we successfully snatched the truck after initially deceiving the victims that we were security personnel.”
Alli, 28, from the Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State, added that Ibrahim gave them instruction to move the truck to a buyer in Ifo, Ogun State.
Our correspondent learnt that the first operation of the gang was the hijacking of a truck loaded with bags of rice.
Another suspect, 23-year-old Babagana, said he drove the truck after it was hijacked, adding that he also got a mechanic for the gang in case there was a fault with the engines.
He said, “I drove the truck. We were nearing the Ibafo area when the police intercepted us. We were arrested at about 12pm. Our strategy was to accuse the truck driver and his conductor of wrong parking. Once they alighted, we swooped on the truck and snatched it.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, while confirming the arrest, said investigations were ongoing on the matter at SARS.
He said, “The police acted on information and arrested the suspects.
“They had earlier robbed the victim of a Mack Trailer truck loaded with goods valued at N20m. They also snatched three handsets at the Sarant Steel Company, Kirikiri, Lagos. Efforts are on to arrest other fleeing members of the gang. The case is under investigation at SARS.”