Two suspected armed bandits who killed an Uber driver in Lagos and stole the victim’s car have confessed to the heinous crime after been rounded up by the police in Lagos.
The suspects were arrested by the operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS); a unit of the Lagos police command, while trying to dismember the Hyundai Elantra car with registration number EPE 676 EC, in order to sell its parts to a scrap metal dealer.
The arrest of the suspects was said to have been effected after the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of Lagos, Zubairu Muazu, directed the commander of the RRS, Olatunji Disu to go after the criminals.
The two suspects: Humble Peter-Robert, 33, and Gideon Achibong, 36, were arrested on Monday 4, February 2019 at about noon in Aboki Estate, Lekki, Lagos, while removing the car parts.
According to the police, Peter-Robert, an ex-convict and a bus conductor, in company of three others, now at large, had three days before his arrest conspired to hijack an Uber car and sell it off.
On the said day, the quartet: Emma, David, Dolapo and Peter-Robert at around 11:00 pm waved down the deceased, Sunday Obasi in Lekki. They told him they were going to Ikate and he charged them N1,000.
Before getting to their destination, the suspects requested the driver to park by the roadside to enable them ease themselves. It was at this point they descended on the driver.
After killing the driver, they pushed him off before driving the car to Beach Road, Lekki, where they hid the car for two days while looking for a buyer.
According to Peter-Robert in his confession to the police investigators; “I was sitting in front of the car with the driver. We hit him with stones several times. He complained that he was sick. We pushed him off to the road and went away with the car, a wine colour Hyundai Elantra.
On the Beach Road, Lekki, where we parked the car, we swapped the number plate of the car with a Volkswagen Passat car (FKJ 708 CA) close by. We left it for two days hoping to contact buyers for the car.”
He continued; “Emma, also a Uber driver, is our ring leader. He noticed that the driver was operating offline before deciding that we hijack the car from him. The following day when one of us visited where we hijacked the car. He noticed the guy’s remains were already in police body bag.”
“We contacted Archibong to assist us in disposing off the car. The buyers we invited indicated that they can only buy the car parts. It was in the process of dismantling the car that RRS patrol vehicle spotted us and arrested two of us. Emma, Dolapo and David are on the run.”
Commenting on the development, the CP, Muazu stated that investigations were continuing on the case. He assured that the command would leave no stone unturned towards ensuring that the fleeing suspects are made to face justice.
JOSHUA BASSEY
