Two dismissed soldiers alleged to be leaders of a notorious armed robbery gang that has been hijacking trucks and diverting goods on highways have been arrested.
The five-man gang had been terrorizing truck and company drivers until September 2 when they met their Waterloo.
They were said to have intercepted a truck, with registration number LSR 266XW, laden with cans of groundnut oil valued at N13,250.00 in the Epe area of Lagos, before their arrest. According to the police, the gang usually disguised in military uniforms and blocked the road, giving the public the impression that they were real military personnel checking criminals.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, who paraded the suspects yesterday at the command headquarters, Ikeja, said the gang stopped a Kano State-bound truck near Ijebu-Ode and pushed the driver and the conductor out of the vehicle.
He said: “However, as the driver and the conductor were trekking towards Epe, Lagos, they came across a policeman and narrated their ordeals to him. The policeman contacted some of the police stations along the route taken by the robbers.
“At about 2230 hours, policemen on stop-and-search duty saw the truck coming and intercepted it. In the process, Monday and Emeka were arrested and, during interrogation, they mentioned the following persons among the people that hijacked the truck.
“The suspects, 13 NA/69/8811/Lance Cpl. Moses Johnson (dismissed soldier), 13NAF/89/8811/Lance Cpl. Akintola Abiodun (Air Force) and Cpl. Osegbu Chidi (fake soldier).
The truck and goods were recovered intact and the suspects have been identified by the victims. They will soon be charged to court.
“The good thing is that we have been able to establish that the gang leaders are dismissed soldiers because members of the public have been sending reports about the activities of some soldiers who hijack their trucks. Now we know better than they are dismissed, soldiers.”
