Hyacinth Chinweuba
An armed robbery suspect, 31 year old Abiodun Frances has narrated how and why he and his gang member late Taheeb, shot a retired chief superintendent of police (CSP) Robinson Aregari who came to shop in Markvins super market in Agbara.
According to him, the police officer attempted to disrupt their operation by pushing them down when they were on duty.
He said, “when the police chief wanted to enter the super market he met my second, late Taheeb at the door”
Taheeb told him to look at the owner of the Markvins super market, one Mr. Makuochukwu Hyacinth Obi and over five customers lying face down to show him that they were robbers on duty and for him to move forward and join those lying face down inside the super market. He even showed him his operatioal gun”
Instead if complying he suddenly grabbed Taheeb at the waist, lifted him and threw him to the ground and took to his heels that fateful day 11th January, 2020″
As he was running to go and enter his jeep Taheeb stood up and fired at him at his left lap.
When I saw that he did not enter his jeep I opened the jeep door and saw his wife.
I told her to give me, the money her husband kept in the jeep and she told me that he did not keep any money in the jeep.
Left with no other choice I collected her phone and the two phones her husband was charging in the jeep. I did not collect his wife ATM.
“We collected ten phones from the super market and the customers we met there”
“We also collected a bottle of expensive wine which we drank together while sharing our loot in one uncompleted building”
“I was not the one who shot the police chief. I was carrying long gun while Taheeb was carrying shot gun and he, Taheeb was the one who shot the police chief”
The Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Abba Kyari after receiving details of the incident then mobilised his special squad led by the South West Coordinator, a Chief Superintendent of Police CSP Philip Rieninwa and with their intelligence gathering they fished out Abiodun from his hiding place.
In his words: “My name is Abiodun Frances. I am a Lagos indigene. My mother is from Badagry while my father is from Ojo area of Lagos State. I attended Macauley International Primary School, Marobo, along Badagry Road”
“My father is a Fisher man while my mother is a trader and sells food and drinks. After my primary education I went to learn weilding work because my parents were too poor to carry my burden of higher education. Even to get three square meal a day was a problem”
When I got freedom from weilding in 2005 I could not afford the money to get my own workshop. I started staying at home doing workman job. The workman job is a situation that you go about the street looking for who has weilding work to give you. Again one can get weilding work from people who like to link with weilders through phone calls.
I was getting one to two thousand naira daily and was using it to take care of my family.
My life turned to hell when I joined the eiye cult.
I started over drinking and smoking of cigarettes and even joined the cult members in street fights. In one of the fights I was axed by one member of the rival group and that is this scare you are seeing.
The wound affected my weilding work and it was only my parents that took me to hospital and footed the bill. When I was discharged I started staying at home and my wife was the one taking care of my fsmily. My life changed again when my friend Taheeb came to my house and saw me in a sad mood.
He asked why I was not happy. I told him it was because of lack of owo(money).
He told me not to worry that he would take me to Paradise the next day where money has no value.
We went to smoking joints where he bought pepper soup, drinks and smoke. We were spending money like rich men in town.
The following day I went out with him and had my first baptism of phone snatching. The operation was smooth and sweet. I got enough money that I forgot my sorrow.
We robbed many supermarkets , people coming back from work or market during rush hour.
We were doing well but, unfortunately, any time I travel to see my parents he would go out alone to rob.
There was a time I went to see my father but , when I came back I heard that he was killed in OPIC estate where he went to rob in November 2019.
I thought the case was over until it was reported to IRT. I was rekaxing when operatives of IRT stormed my house and arrested me.
I was surprised to see the shot police chief because I thought that he died. I was not the one that shot him. The super market CCTV captured the action very well.
We carried Andre wine from the super market. We drank it together. I dont smoke indian hemp. I smoke only Benson switch which is a normal cigartette. I drink Goldberg beer and action bitter.
We dont fire victims anyhow. It is only when victims challenge us, try to disarm us or disrupt the operation.
We can only rob two or three persons at a time because we have to manage time to succeed.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the armed robbers the police chief said,” I did not know that the dangerous idiots would be arrested and that is where IRT operatives are showing the difference in intelligence policing.
The performance of the south west coordinator CSP Philip Rieniwane and his best operation hand Ikudaisi Ramond was fantastic. They should be encouraged with promotion because they have got enough commendation. They should be encouraged with promotion for others to emulate them.
Let me go straight to narrate my ordeal in the hands of these boys from hell.
I did not intend to waste time in the supermarket . I parked my jeep some yards away with my wife waiting inside the jeep.
As I reached the super market door to enter one of the hoodlums stopped me and ordered me to lie down, brought out gun.
Annoyed by his action I grabbed him, lifted him up and threw him on the ground and started running away. His second was still on the ground when this rat, Abiodun fired me at the lap. See where he fired me.
He later went to my jeep and robbed my wife of her ATM card with which they used to empty her account. He took her phone and the my two phones I was charging in my jeep.
I escaped by running to the nearby police station despite the bullet wound.
Also narrating his ordeal in the hands of the hoodlums the owner of the super market, Makuachikwu said,
“This the second time they came to my super market. They ordered me and the customers to lye face down.
I heard when they were talking to the police chief. Along the line I heard a gun shot. It was later that I discovered that it was the police chief that they fired at his left lap.
I cant give you the estimate of the money they collected. I had the previous sales money with me.They collected all.
Please, they were three man gang not two. One of them was on a motorcycle outside the super super market, near the road while two entered. I dont know why this robber, pointing at Abiodun, will say that they were two.
They were even the same gang that killed one Alfa( cleric) that sells provision near Agbara police station despite pleading to them to spare his life and carry anything they like in his shop.
They also killed one man at Iperi the day they killed somebody at Betnaija.
We even heard that his second Taheeb was lynched with plank by irate crowd when they came to rob in the area.
The items recovered from the suspects include eight phones, one laptop, operational sienna car with vehicle registration number MUS150FP and one motorcycle.
