Some suspected notorious armed robbers who were paraded by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have revealed how they planned high profile crimes while serving jail terms.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu said the command arrested no fewer than 23 suspects who have been terrorising residents of Abuja.
Two among the arrested suspects, Aji Thomas and Amobi Ndukwake, who had served time in prison for various offences, disclosed during an interview how they met in a custodial centre and planned crimes.
“I met him (Thomas) in prison and we became friends. We were in the same cell and we used to discuss how we will make money after we leave the cell. A week after he left prison, I was also released and that was how we started our operations,” Ndukwake said.
According to Disu, twelve out of the arrested suspects are notorious in one-chance operations where they dispossess victims of their belongings at gunpoint.
He said Thomas and Ndukwake are among the three suspects who are notorious armed robbers that allegedly stole no fewer than 13 vehicles.
The CP mentioned that Thomas is an indigene of Gwoza from Borno State; Ndukwake, from Agwu LGA of Enugu State; while Amechi Sampson is from Imo State.
He said the trio belonged to a notorious gang that specialized in armed robbery and car snatching.
He said the suspects operated within the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Kano States, adding that they were led by one Chidiebere who is currently at large.
“And their mode of operation includes trailing unsuspecting victims to a convenient location where they then strike, dispossessing them of their vehicles and any other valuables,” he said.
He said the suspects disengaged any tracking gadgets installed in vehicles and took such vehicles to other states to sell to a buyer who was always on standby.
CP Disu said the suspects were arrested while attempting to sell a stolen Toyota car with registration number KTW 2155D to one of the command’s undercover operatives.
He said the suspects also admitted to operating in Garki for the past one year and claiming responsibility for numerous car thefts within the metropolis.
The police commissioner said the suspects would be charged to court, adding that 13 different kinds of vehicles including knives and a pistol were recovered from the suspects.
