“My Boyfriend Gave Me N230k But I Didn’t Know He’s a Robber” – MMIA Robbery Gang Nabbed

A four-man robbery gang who carried out an operation at the arrival hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja on October 30, last year has been nabbed by the Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command.

In the robbery process, they carted away the sum of $1.5 million kept in a bagging store by Mrs Uche Eziama, owner of Deravine Company. According to a police source, the said money was kept in a bag and Mrs. Eziama intended to use it for a business transaction that could not hold, following which she

decided to keep it in the bagging store. But to her utter shock, by the time she went there to fetch it, it had vanished. She alerted the police and some suspects were arrested. As the suspects were being screened, one of them, Ifeanyi Francis, confessed to the crime.  

The police later recovered the sum of $224, 240 and two landed properties Ifeanyi said he acquired with the money. Also recovered from him was a Pathfinder SUV he allegedly purchased with part of the stolen money. He also confessed that one of the gang’s members, Chibuzor Onuegbu, who worked at the MMIA as a clearing and forwarding agent, was the one who told him to come to Lagos for the job. He said the larger share of the money was with Onuegbu, adding that Onuegbu confided in him that he would give the money to his elder brother, Kalu, to keep for him.

Based on the foregoing information, operatives of SARS, led by officer in charge of SARS a Superintendent of Police (SP) Abba Kyari went after Kalu, who was said to have initially denied any knowledge of the deal. But he later confessed to the crime, giving details of the steps they took to steal the money. His confession led to the arrest of another suspect, Chioma Obinabor, who claimed to be a girlfriend to Chibuzor, the alleged mastermind of the crime, who was said to have escaped to London. Kalu said some money was given to him but he did not know the exact amount he was given to keep until the third day when Chibuzor came, collected the money and gave it to his girlfriend to acquire three and a half plots of land for him at Onigbo area of Port Harcourt.

He also bought two plots of land in Aba with two detachable bungalows. Based on Kalu’s information, SARS operatives went after Chioma in Onitsha and arrested her, following which she admitted that her boyfriend, Chibuzor, gave her money to acquire landed property for him. She said she bought six plots of land for N9 million and another four plots for N10 million at 33 area of Onitsha, Anambra State. She said Chibuzor relocated to London after giving her the money. The police also revealed that Kalu bought a Honda CRV and rented a three-bedroom flat for N500,000, furnishing same with over N700,000. The said flat was said to be located at Abuloma area of Port Harcourt. The first suspect, Ifeanyi Francis (25), who claimed to have trained as a bricklayer, said he attended Government Technical College (GTC) Owerri, Imo State.

Credit: The Nation Online