Female Robber: Why I Abandoned My Husband, 3 Children & Ended Up As a Robber.
Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, Lagos have
smashed a syndicate, arresting a woman and a
man that specialised in robbing unsuspecting
passengers who board commercial cab along
Badagry-Mile 2 route.
suspects
According to Police sources, the suspects
identified as Ahmed Isiaka and Victoria Amodu
are part of five-man robbery gang operating
along Seme-Badagry- Mile 2 route.
One of the apprehended robbers, 27-year-old
Victoria, while narrating her story said: "I was
arrested last Wednesday at Dakar Hotel in
Seme where I used to work as a prostitute.
"I am from Edo State. I came to Lagos last
February to look for greener pastures when my
husband was constantly beating me. We were
married for eight years.
"I abandoned my husband and three children
and came to Lagos with the intention of living
under the bridge until I found a place to lay my
head. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to sleep
under the bridge as I met a lady in a
commercial bus I boarded who had compassion
on me when she saw me crying in the bus.
"She took me to the hotel where she was
working as a prostitute and introduced me into
the league of prostitutes.
"Everything was going on well until Okanlawon
patronised me in the hotel. The first time we
spent the night together. After that night I
didn't see him again untill three weeks later.
"Weeks later, someone stole my N100,000
from my room in the hotel while I was asleep.
While I was still lamenting the loss, the
collector of our Esusu contribution disappeared
with my N150,000.
"As I was still grieving over the loss, Okanlawon
came to the hotel to see me. He told me to
accompany him to a night club. Initially I
declined but after much persuasion I followed
him.
"Instead of going to the club, he took me to his
place where we spent the night together. In the
morning, he asked me to enter the front seat
of his vehicle and he started picking passengers
and I asked him why he was carrying
passengers but he didn't respond.
"It was when he and his gang members
attacked the passengers that I knew what he
was into. I told him I didn't want to take part in
their operations. But he threatened to deal
with me, saying nobody would know my
whereabouts if I didn't co-operate with the
gang.
"That was why I had a rethink and continued to
participate in robbery operations. The first
time I participated, I wasn't given anything
while at two other times I was given N15,000
and N10,000 respectively."
Trouble for the gang
Vanguard learnt that trouble started for the
gang after a victim whom they robbed reported
the incident at the Ojo Police Division which
began investigating the activities of the gang.
Ironically, the female police officer
investigating the case at the division was also
robbed by the gang when she boarded their
vehicle while in mufti.
She was able to get details of the vehicle during
the attack. The cab was later traced to Iyana-Iba
the next day when unsuspecting passengers
were already boarding it.
Ahmed was then arrested while the other
members escaped. The case was later
transferred to SARS for further investigation
which eventually led to the arrest of Victoria.
Mode of operation
The gang had two operational styles. First, they
could use two operational vehicles.
One of the suspects, Ahmed would occupy the
driver's seat while Victoria, the only female
suspect in the gang sits in front and another
gang member at the back as unsuspecting
passengers board the cab.
The other two members would sit in the back-
up vehicle. Immediately they get to a lonely
place along the road, the gang members in the
back-up cab would signal the driver with the
passenger to stop by flashing his phone.
The driver would then pretend to be fixing his
vehicle that would have suddenly become
faulty. This will allow those in the back-up
vehicle to launch an attack. That way the
passengers won't suspect any foul play.
The second mode of operation is that they use
one vehicle with Victoria sitting beside the
driver to pick passengers without the back-up
vehicle.
Ahmed's account
During interrogation, 33-year-old Ahmed Isiaka
from Kwara State told Vanguard: "I was
introduced to the gang by Okanlawon last
November. Other members of the gang are
Nuru, Victoria and Isiaka.
"I am the driver of the operational vehicle, a
Honda Accord, while Nuru used to drive the
back-up vehicle, a Mazda.
"We used to operate along Iyana-Iba-Badagry
expressway. Usually, Victoria sits at the front
while another member sits at the back. I take
passengers from Iyana-Iba bus stop going to
Badagry. Before we get to a lonely area
between Agbara and Oko-Afo the other
members of the gang in the back-up vehicle
would signal me to stop.
"Immediately, I receive the signal, I would
pretend like the vehicle was faulty then park
and pretended to be fixing the vehicle. While
this was going on, the other members would
strike.
"We don't use guns or juju to rob passengers,
instead we use wheel spanner. We don't even
make them unconscious during operation.
Usually we operate in the night. Sometimes we
operate in broad daylight.
"Depending on our loot, I could get as much as
N10,000 from one operation. And I have
participated in about four robbery operations.
"Okanlawon used to take all the phones we get
from operations. Before I joined the gang I was
a commercial bus driver.
"I am married with a child. I used to live at
Ibafo before my rent expired and I moved to
1, Denton Street in Oyingbo.
[Vanguard]
.
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