Robbers Arrested For Robbing Agbara Warehouse

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos has apprehended a gang of robbers that specialises in breaking into warehouses and stealing cartons of cosmetic products and selling them at ridiculously low prices.

The suspects, Tunde Oyedele, Sola Komolafe, Samuel Kingsley, Happy Osagede, Deji Akinwunmi, Ezekiel Dikeocha (aka White) and Okiyefa Godspower (aka Biggie), were said to have robbed a warehouse belonging to Reckitt Benckiser, manufacturers of Dettol.

Three of the suspects, Oyedele, Akinwunmi and Komolafe, were employees of the company, it was learnt.

According to the police, in May 2013, the gang, including others who are now at large, stormed the warehouse of the company in the Agbara area of Ogun State and stole cartons of soap noodles (a soap making component) and other chemicals worth N17m.

Apart from robbing the company, some of the suspects were said to have raped the daughter of a resident who lived in the compound where the warehouse is situated.

A policeman who was involved in the investigation, said, “Around 8am on May 12, 2013, the suspects, led by Akinwunmi, stormed the warehouse in Agbara. Two of the suspects were armed while some others wore military uniform. At the gate, they told the security guard on duty that they wanted to visit a man called Alhaji who lives in the boys’ quarters of the warehouse.

“When the guard opened the gate, the robbers tied him up and made for the apartment of the Alhaji.  When they got there, they tied him up along with his daughter and her friend. A couple of the members of the gang then raped the man’s daughter.

“They went back to the warehouse and stole cartons of soap noodles and other chemicals worth N17m. They then loaded the goods into four large trucks and drove off.”

It was learnt that it did not take long for an investigation team deployed by the SARS commander, Abba Kyari, to discover that the robbery was an insider job.

Police detectives were said to have gone undercover and one of the suspects, Biggie, was arrested.

Biggie told SARS men that they sold the N17m worth of goods for N4m and the money was shared in order of seniority.

Through Biggie’s confession, the police were able to arrest the other suspects.

The suspects all confessed to the robbery but said they did not carry weapons.

They said only two of their gang members used guns on the day of the incident and the suspects were still at large.

One of the suspects, 27-year-old Godspower, said Akinwunmi was the mastermind of the robbery.

He said, “Deji (Akinwunmi) and I used to be security guards at Nestle but after we were laid off, Deji got a job at Reckitt Benckiser. One day, when he came to visit me, he came with some raw Dettol. When I asked him where he got it from, he said he stole it from the warehouse. So, we planned the robbery.

“Deji told me that he could open the main gate without anybody knowing and no one would suspect him if we went at night since he was on morning duty. He said he understood the security pattern of the warehouse and that no one would catch us.

“So we hired two buses that could carry as many as 160 bags. The value of each bag is about N6, 800 but we were selling each bag for N1, 250. We used to sell to one Alhaji in Alaba. We always got away without any stress and would padlock the warehouse back, so no one would know that anything was missing.

“One day, the Alhaji told us he needed a large quantity of soap noodles. That was when we did the major operation in May. I got N1.12m as my share from the operation. I opened a viewing centre and furnished my house. I also used the money to have fun with many girls.”

Twenty four-year-old Akinwunmi, who claimed to be a final year student of Gateway Polytechnic, Ogun State, said he took to crime to help his father who had arthritis.

He said he also used his own share of the money to rent an apartment and furnish it.

Another suspect, Dikeocha, said he took to crime because he was desperate to relocate to Dubai.

He said his share of the loot was N840,000.

He said, “I used to work at Unilever as a contract employee but was relieved of my duty. I live in the same area with Biggie and I noticed that he was spending money frivolously, so I approached him and told him to show me the way because I wanted to relocate to Dubai but did not have enough money.

“He told me, he was a robber and he explained what I needed to do. When we were planning the operation, I was told guns would be needed, so I reached out to two of my friends, Emma and Joseph. They were the ones that brought guns to the operation. They were also the ones that raped the Alhaji’s daughter. I had nothing to do with the rape.

“After the operation, I got N840, 000 and travelled to Dubai. I secured a job as a bouncer in a night club. My life was set and the pay was good. I only came back to regularise my papers in Nigeria when SARS men arrested me. If I had known, I would have stayed back in Dubai.”

Another suspect, Oyedele, who wept profusely, said he regretted spending his 30th birthday in police custody.

He said he was sorry for his crime and urged the police to let him go as he was not part of the robbery operation but only a middleman between the robbers and the buyers.

He said, “I am crying because today is my 30th birthday and this is not how I planned to mark it. I wanted to take my child and wife out to eat. I was a labourer at Reckitt Benckiser but I have left the place.

“Deji and Biggie were the ones that came to meet me saying they had goods for sale, so I introduced them to one Alhaji at Alaba. It was only during the last operation that they gave me N250, 000. I am not a robber. For the sake of my birthday, I would love the police to release me. I have learnt my lesson.”