Robbery kingpins, other beg for amnesty

There was a mild drama at the office of the
Lagos State Police Commissioner in Ikeja on
Friday as three suspects, who were arrested
by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, were
paraded before the House Committee on
Police Affairs.
The suspects, Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka
Godogodo; Felix Sunday, aka K Money; and
Nwanyim Uche; pleaded for amnesty.
Godogodo had been described by the police
as the most wanted criminal in the South
West for the past 10 years.
He told the lawmakers that he had built six
houses from his loot and never kept money in
the bank in order not to be traced by security
agents.
He said, “I never drank, womanised or
attended social events. Such vices made one
vulnerable and made it easy for the police to
find and arrest you. I had no friends. I never
kept money; I used all of it to build the
houses.
“We don’t kill policemen except on one
occasion when we went to rob in Ajah area of
Lagos State. On that particular day, we had
ended the robbery operation and were on our
way back when my friend, Odun spotted a
police patrol van. Odun opened fire and killed
all of them because he needed their AK 47
rifles.
“The unfortunate thing about crime is that
you never have peace of mind. The police
were always after me and I never lived in one
particular house for more than a year. I
regret my action now and I would be happy if
I am given amnesty.”
The other robbery suspect, K Money, who was
among the robbers that attacked bureau de
change operators at the Murtala Mohammed
Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and killed two
policemen, said the gang made $4m (N600m)
in the operation.
He said he got N45m and became a car
dealer.
He said, “I set up a showroom and registered
my company. I bought many Tokunbo (foreign
used vehicles) from Cotonou (Benin
Republic)and started selling them.
“When policemen started chasing me and my
boys, I was completely disorganised and the
business suffered. I plead for mercy sir.”
Uche was said to be a member of the gang
that kidnapped the Chairman, Ejigbo Local
Council Development Area, Mr. Kehinde
Bamgbetan; and a High Court judge.
The Officer in Charge of SARS, Abba Kyari,
told the lawmakers that Uche’s cohorts were
killed during a shootout with his men a few
months ago.
Kyari explained that the modus operandi of
Uche’s gang was to kidnap their victim, keep
him in a house in the Agbara area of Ogun
State while Uche would watch over him. The
rest of the gang would then relocate to a
hotel and negotiate a ransom with the victim’s
family.
After collecting the ransom, the suspects
would flee to Ghana for some months before
returning for another operation.
Uche, while weeping profusely, said, “I never
knew I would be involved in such a thing, I
never knew I could stoop so low in life. I
plead for mercy.”
The lawmakers, who commended the police
for the remarkable achievements, berated the
suspects for their dastardly acts.
A member of the committee, Udo Ibeji, said,
“Now, you people (suspects) are pleading for
mercy. You are all able-bodied men, why
didn’t you work like other members of
society? If you are set free, what of the
innocent civilians and policemen you have
killed?”

Source: punchng