Operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State
Police Command have arrested 12 suspects over an attempted murder of a
tanker escort and the diversion of a 45,000 litre diesel laden truck as
well as the diversion of 410 bags of flour.
The
incident happened on February, 1, 2017 when the truck with the
registration number ENU 751 XH conveying 45,000 litres of diesel it
loaded at Optima Depot, Koko, Warri in Delta State was hijacked after
some suspects hit the truck pilot with hammer at the back of the head
and threw him into a ditch.
The
diversion was reported at Rapid Response Squad’s Headquarters in
Alausa, where it was reported the officials declined to take up the case
over jurisdiction. It was further revealed that the Lagos State
Commissioner of Police; Mr. Fatai Owoseni on hearing of the incident
directed that the police swing into action immediately, noting that
crime has no jurisdiction.
The
operatives in handling the case spent 11 straight days shuttling Ondo
State, Ogun State, Lagos and Edo State and picking up all the suspects
allegedly involved in the diversion of the diesel and 410 bags of flour.
As
at yesterday, the operatives had arrested 23 people directly involved
in the attempted murder of Tunji Ajayi, the representative of Samsuat
Petroleum, the diversion, buyers and sub – buyers of the products.
The
complainant, Mrs. Nafisat Osinowo, in her statement at the RRS’s Office
in Alausa, Ikeja, stated, “the diesel was meant to be delivered in
Sango, Ogun State. Our representative escorting the truck called me when
they got to Benin that the tyre of the truck was not good in the
afternoon.
He called again at 11:00 p.m.
that the truck has been parked in Ore. It is our tradition not to
travel at night. Our discussion was that they proceed on the journey at 5:00 a.m.
the next day. That was the last time we spoke. Efforts to get him the
following day proved abortive until few days later when we were called
that he was in an intensive care unit at the hospital”.
Sources
revealed that Gbenga Akinboyewa (33) and Obinna Ofunue (29) were
recruited by a syndicate in connivance with the driver of the diesel
truck, Amara (now at large) to eliminate Tunji Ajayi, the representative
of the owner of the product.
The
trio had at Ore at night, engaged Ajayi, overpowered him before hitting
him at the back of the head with a hammer. They were reported to have
thereafter dropped his body in a ditch along the road before diverting
the truck with the 45,000 diesel.
The
syndicate, led by Chibueze Nnamdi, a building materials dealer in Ore,
Ondo State, Edwin Ozor, Oluchukwu and one Shedrach, now at large, had
raised N800, 000:00 to pay for the services of those engaged in the
course of the diesel diversion.
According
to Nnmadi, “I invited Akinboyewa into the deal. I briefed him and he in
turn invited Ofunue. The instruction we gave them was to tie the hands
and legs of the escort and hide him somewhere so that within an hour, we
would have closed the deal before he was loose. I didn’t say they
should kill him.
Biggy
(Ozor) and I raised N800, 000 to settle the boys, lodge them in a hotel,
feed and take care of other emergencies in the course of the job. We
promised Akinbiyewa N500, 000 for his own aspect of the job”.
He
disclosed further, “when we were in control of the truck, we drove to
Ijebu Ode, where we discharged 2,800 litres. We proceeded to Lagos,
where we offloaded 19,200 in one station, 14,000 in another and 8,400 in
the last filling station.
Those
equally arrested in connection with the attempted murder and diesel
diversions were: Sadiku Ganinu, Oluchukwu Oyema and Gbenga Aliyu.
Meanwhile,
the operatives have also uncovered that the same syndicate had sometime
last week facilitated the disposal off 410 bags of flour believed to
belong to Dangote Flour.
Sources
revealed that one of the suspects, whose name was not mentioned,
disclosed to the police that the syndicate had a week ago, disposed a
truck load of flour.
The
revelation prompted further investigations by the operatives, which led
the RRS team to Sagamu, Ogun State, where the buyer of the flour, Rabiu
Bello was arrested.
Bello,
a Colanut dealer, had in his statement stated that one Mustapha (at
large) brought the flour deal to him, adding that, he bought each bag of
the flour N8500.
He further stated that he in turn sold the flour in Zamfara at N9500 per bag.q
Others involved in the flour deal and arrested by the operatives included: Chigozie Obi, Feranmi Michael and Adedeji Kehinde.
All the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti.
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