A woman, Mrs Taiwo Ahmed, has narrated how armed robbers invaded her home in Iwo, Osun State, in August last year, spent more than 12 hours with her before carting away her vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, clothes and many household tools.

Mrs Ahmed said she had almost given up on the recovery of the vehicle until she got a call from police operatives telling her that her car had been recovered and some of the suspects apprehended.

She gave the narration while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune at a press briefing held by the Osun State Police Command recently.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Kehinde Longe, had told journalists how police operatives arrested 14 suspected armed robbers, receivers of stolen property and other conspirators.

He gave their names as Rasaki Bakare a.k.a Ari, Emmanuel Tayo, Oluwasanmi Adebanjo, Julius Olalekan, Kehinde Afeez, among others. Recovered from the suspects were eight vehicles, including Lexus RX350, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Dyna.

The PPRO disclosed that the suspects carried out robbery operation in different towns including Iwo, Ikirun and Inisa, adding that they abducted one of their victims from Ikirun at gun point before they dispossessed him of his Lexus RX350 SUV, phones and other valuable items worth over N7 million.

“Immediately the case was referred for discreet investigation, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad recovered the Toyota Lexus RX350 in Akure, Ondo State.”

She added that intelligence led the operatives to Iwo/Ikirun axis where other vehicles were also recovered. Opalola stated further that anti-kidnapping detectives recovered a Toyota Corolla (big daddy) and arrested three suspects – Tayo, Rasaki a.k.a Aro, and Oluwasanmi – at Olodo area in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“Further investigation led to the arrest of Femi Adeniran, Ogunremi Adeyemi, Ayobami Azeez and Lawal Omotayo for aiding the registration and computer production of fake number plates and documents for the stolen vehicles,” she added.

The image maker listed the buyers of the stolen vehicles as Safianu Abubakar, Mohammed Abdullahi, Adewale Abiodun a.k.a Dudu, Kazeem Ayandelea.k.a Cowbell and AdebisiKabiru, saying that all the suspects would be charged to court after investigation must have been completed.

Narrating her experience, Mrs Ahmed said: “On October 12 last year, the armed robbers woke me up by using the flat side of a machete to hit me. It was only my eight-year-old daughter and I that were at home. I saw the one I later knew as Tayo picking my phone beside my bed. He also took my purse and picked another phone from it. He was the one that also picked my car key.

“One of them started barking: ‘lie down!’ I complied immediately. One of them went out, remaining two others. They started asking questions: ‘Where is your husband? Where are others? Where are you working?’ I told them it was just I and my daughter. I said I was a teacher and they asked me to call my boss that I would not be able to come to school because I was bereaved and had travelled to Sagamu in Ogun State. They dialled the number from my phone and put it on speaker.

“One of them asked for my phone code and I gave him. He checked my bank accounts and discovered I had N79,000 in one of them. I had initially told them that I didn’t have any money. They came to me and said that they would punish me for telling a lie. I started crying, asking them of what I did. I told them I just opened the account about a month before they came. They asked for details of the account and I told them. When they checked and saw what I told them was true, they decided not to hurt me with the cutlass that one of them had raised. They were with me from the early hours of the day till evening of the same day.

“They went out to check my vehicle, Toyota Sienna, and discovered it was not functioning. They asked me what was wrong with it and I told them it was the battery. They told me that one of them would go to buy a new battery, asking me to cooperate with them. One of them left, one was with me and the third one stood outside.

“When my daughter was pressed and needed to go to the toilet, they did not allow her. I had to tell her to pee on the bed. They checked my luggage and removed my clothes. They took my two new blenders, two new electric kettles, a microwave machine, an alkaline pot, pressure cooker, among other items. They ate the bread I had at home with stew. They also consumed the fried fish I had. They drank malt drink, juice and water.

“When my former boss heard of it, she told the Commissioner of Police and the case was transferred to Osogbo. I was happy when I heard that the vehicle had been found.”

Some of the vehicles recovered from the suspects and buyers of stolen vehicles
One of the suspects, Rasaki Bakare a.k.a Aro, 31, from Ikirun, confessed thus during an interview: “I was arrested for invading a house at Inisa with my gang members. We went to the residence of our victim at midnight with cutlass and iron rod. We opened the door forcefully and took the victim’s vehicle, a Toyota Camry (big daddy) and phones. We were taking it to our buyer, one Sunday Ogbemudia, in Ibadan, unknown to us that he had been arrested.

“We got different vehicles from our three operations. We had sold two to Ogbemudia and wanted to sell the third one when we were apprehended. The police have recovered them. I got N55,000 from the first stolen car, and N45,000 from the second one.”

Another suspect, 31-year-old Tayo who also hails from Ikirun and is married with four children, told the Nigerian Tribune about his involvement in armed robbery: “I’m a mechanic but started armed robbery last year. It was Yusuf (at large) who introduced me to it. We met in Ilesa Prison when I was serving a two-year sentence for stealing phones. Later, my people were able to pay the fine option after I had served for nine months and I was released from prison.”

How we carried out operation

“I was at home in Ikirun when Yusuf called me. He told me to go to a residence to take a vehicle. He said his area brothers would show me the house. Three of us went to the targeted house in the early hours of the day. We removed the window burglar-proof grills and got inside the house. It is true that Yusuf and the third gang member, Ajanaku, used cutlass to beat the woman in the house for her to wake up.

“It was Yusuf who went to collect money from the woman’s account. He used it to buy car battery. Three of us sold the car to Ogbemudia.”

What led to my arrest

“The last robbery operation was in a Pastor’s house and that led to my arrest. In the early hours of May 11, Aro, Tunde and I went to the pastor’s house along Inisa road. We forcefully entered the house and took the Pastor’s vehicle to Ibadan. We called Ogbemudia, unknown to us that he had been arrested.”

Oluwasanmi, aged 25, also from Ikirun, explained his involvement: “I met Aro and he told me of his intention to rob in a house. He asked me to follow him and I joined him and Tayo, making three of us. Tayo held a cutlass, Aro held a rod while I held a gun that was not functioning well.”He admitted being a hemp smoker, saying that he started two years ago.

Afeez Kehinde, from Iwo, admitted being the one who pointed out Mrs Ahmed’s house to those who went to rob her. “It is true that Yusuf slept in my room. I knew him as an area brother. What happened was that my friend, Julius, and I met Yusuf on our way from railway station. We picked him on our bike. While on the way, he told us to take a route as he wanted to say hello to someone. We got to a spot and he pointed at a house, telling us that it was his boss’s residence. When we got to our residence, Yusuf told us that he would come to stay with us the following week. Two days after, he told us to show his boss’s house to Tayo. We did and left the neighbourhood.”