A worrying scenario of law enforcement officers aiding and abetting criminal activities played out Tuesday at the Office of the Lagos State Anti-Robbery Squad as some armed robbers confessed that their nefarious activities were always facilitated by an unnamed solider.
The six-man gang led by Jude Madu, has Romanus Nweke, Edwin Ndinemeni, Abuchi Afunaya, Chibuzor Umebi, and Osita Nnaji as members.
29-year-old Madu while leading the confession revealed that the gang specialized in hijacking trucks in transit and selling off its contents.
He also said that they got ammunition from the soldier who also sometimes went on a joyride with the gang.
“When we spot a truck that we are interested in, we drive in a rough manner and block the truck. When the truck hits our vehicle, the soldier will alight, go straight to the truck driver and slap him for hitting our car.
“He will ask the driver to come down and threaten to take him to an army barracks where he will be dealt with. One of our gang members, Afunaya, will then jump into the truck and speed off.
“We will drive the truck to a park and hand it over to one of our men, Obinna, who then drives the truck to Onitsha, Anambra State, and sells off its contents. My share from the last operation was N200,000.”
Shedding more light, one of the suspects said they also sometimes wore military apparel to confuse unsuspecting victims.
According to him, the unmanned soldier gave them the military outfit to don.
“It was the army man that gave me the army uniform of a lance corporal to follow them to hijack the truck. For the chemical truck that we hijacked I was given N150, 000. My role is to intimidate the driver with my gun,” he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Lagos, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident , said investigations were still ongoing.