The former police men nabbed for robbery
The arrest of some police gangsters in Delta State, has left unsuspecting members of the public wondering about the kind of friendship the Nigeria Police Force has established with them.
A 37-year-old dismissed officer of the Nigerian Police Force identified as Kingsley Ochei, who hails from Ekuoma Community in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, and the ringleader of the suspected criminally-minded police officers that were recently arrested in the state, has made some shocking confession.
He had this to say when they were caught; “Since I was dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force some years back, life became worse for me.
My family and I found it difficult feeding. I cannot pay my siblings school fees. That was how the hard way became the only way for me.
"My heart was troubled. So, I thought of hijacking a petroleum truck that will fetch me good money to meet my needs. I sold the idea to my friends, who are in service and they bought into it.
That was how it all started.”
Kingsley was the ringleader of a 5-man gang of serving policemen, namely, Sergeants Nwankem Ebonzim ( F/No. 413318), 37, Prince Innocent Obaseki (F/No. 441254), 45, of No. 79, Okpe Quarters, Abavo, in Ika; Micheal Chima attached to 31 PMF, Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South council area of Delta State,(F/No. 375631)
Sergeant Christopher Onyegho attached to Special Protection Unit, Base 5 Benin City, Edo, State and one Ndubuisi Okolie, 29, also from Ekuoma, who hijacked a truck loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), from one Ifeanyi Okeke, a 35-year-old man, of Umuosime Village, Nkpor, Anambra State.
According to New Telegraph, the truck was heading to Onitsha in Anambra State with the consignment, which he lifted from Oghara, Ethiope West Council Area of the state.
On interrogation, the gang leader confessed that he was thrown out of the Force after he committed some undisclosed acts of indiscipline.
“Life has not been the same for me. The whole thing became worse for me. All my colleagues that I relied upon to be of help and assistance to start up a business failed me.
Since I have nothing to fall back upon because every eye was on me as a dismissed policeman, and I have a family to take care of. Many thoughts started crossing my mind.
“When things are terribly rough at times, I will call on some of my colleagues when I was in service, if they are on patrol, I will hang on with them. If anything comes out, they will share little for me to keep life going.”
Speaking further he said; “As I said before, frustration of life forced me into this crime. Devil tempted and lured me into armed robbery. I beg for forgiveness.”
He swore that his gang had not laid hand on any of their victims since they formed their gang, saying, “We don’t kill. We have not killed anybody.
We only hijack trucks loaded with petroleum products.”
He added that he has always had smooth operations because of the ‘gallantry’ performance of his gang members.
“With the presence of my serving colleagues, we usually find our way to any petrol station where a friend is and we sell the products and share the money”, Kingsley confessed.
The kingpin, who vowed not to lie but say the truth because the game was up, further confessed that they had successfully hijacked many trucks and sold their products at the rate of N1.8 million, N2 million and N3 million respectively, depending on their quantity.
“We share the money among ourselves, and with my share, I am able to fend for my family.”
However, the alleged receiver of the stolen products, who runs a petrol station at Abavo, claimed to be a benefactor to the dismissed policeman. “Yes, he is my friend.
He normally visited my station and from time to time, I dash him money because of his pitiable condition. In most cases, I dash him from N5,000 or N10,000 and above.
“On a particular day, he told me in confidence that he has some products given to him, and because he is a close friend, without asking about the source, I bought it from him.
He has sold products to me for about three times without any problems until this last one that led to our arrest.”
Kingsley’s shocking revelation did not only indict men of the Force on the burning issue of bribery and corruption, it confirmed the speculation of suspecting members of the public about how policemen were collaborating with robbers and leasing out their riffles to them for criminal operations.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Zanna M. Ibrahim, who expressed displeasure that his men ran down the avowed ‘Quick Response’ and ‘combat readiness’ of the command when he paraded them at the command headquarters in Asaba.
He lamented that the ‘police’ bandits ambushed the victim at Alifikede, around Agbor, the boundary between Edo and Delta states, in Ika axis of the Big Heart State, having pretended to be men of Anti-Vandal Team.
“They hijacked the truck, handcuffed the victim and his conductor, pushed and abandoned them in the bush and took the truck with the product to Abavo community in Ika South L.G.A of Delta State.
They sold the product to one Prince Innocent Obaseki, the fourth suspect and later abandoned the hijacked truck along Ute-Okpu road in Ika North East L.G.A of Delta State.
“Fortunately, the telephone handset of the kingpin of the gang named Kingsley Ochei, a dismissed Police Officer was recovered at the scene.
SARS men immediately swung into action and arrested Ochei. He confessed and mentioned other five suspects listed above and subsequently they were equally arrested”, the CP said.
source:tori news
