It was gathered that the suspects, who had foreign currency, drove an unregistered vehicle to the Alade Market, Allen Avenue area of Ikeja, around 7am, for a foreign exchange transaction with any of the BDC operators.
Ibrahim, who was into the business of changing money, was said to have attended to them and gave the suspects, who were sitting inside their car, the sum of N560,000.
While standing beside the car, the Kebbi State indigene had told his partner, one Aliu, to help him get the sum of N100,000 to balance the suspects in exchange for the foreign currency when they suddenly zoomed off.
In a bid to retrieve his money, Ibrahim jumped on the SUV, gripped the roof handle as the suspects drove out of the market.
The suspects, while attempting to cut Ibrahim lose, crushed him on a gate and a container-laden truck, which was parked by the roadside.
Ibrahim was said to have died on the spot, while the suspects escaped with the money.
During a visit to the market on Tuesday, one of Ibrahim’s colleagues, Muhammed Hassan, said the stolen money belonged to Ali, adding that Ibrahim held to the detached roof handle even after he had died.
Hassan said, “We were sitting down here when some people suddenly came to tell us that they saw the body of a Hausa man on the floor. When we got there, I saw Ibrahim’s corpse on the floor and blood was all over him.
“What happened was that while the vehicle was on motion, Ibrahim struggled with the suspects, and because they wanted to cut him loose, they crushed him to a gate and he broke his waist.
“But he still held firmly to the vehicle until the suspects crushed his head to a container truck, which was parked by the roadside. Ibrahim fell off and died on the spot and the suspects escaped with the money.
“I also saw that the police were already making plans to take him to the mortuary, but I stopped them and insisted that we must inform our chairman.”
The deceased’s uncle, Muhammed Adamu, said the BDC operators had always been cautioned to stop dealing with customers in their vehicles, adding that the tragedy would have been averted if Ibrahim had heeded the warning.
Adamu said, “When we got there, we obtained a police report and took his corpse away for burial according to Islamic rites. I was the one who bathed his corpse before burial and I observed that his leg was already broken.
“He attended to the suspects on the main road and not inside the office. He stood beside the car during the transaction and gave the suspects some money inside their car and when he was about to get their balance so that he could collect the foreign currency, they drove off and because it was a Sunday morning, the road was free.
“We have always cautioned our members to stop attending to customers inside their vehicles. If he had listened to the advice, he wouldn’t have died. But we want the police to help us investigate the matter so that the suspects can be arrested.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said an investigation was ongoing into the incident, adding that the command had launched a manhunt for the fleeing suspects in order to arrest and prosecute them.
Elkana stated, “On Sunday, November 24, 2019, around 8am, one Mohammed Umar, came to the station and reported that around 7am on that same day, he saw a Kia SUV with an unknown number plate on Afolabi Aina Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, with three men inside. The occupants called a Bureau De Change operator, Ibrahim Mohammed, from the Alade Market for a forex transactions.
“He said he overheard them saying the money remained N100,000. The driver drove off on top speed with Ibrahim Mohammed to an unknown destination along the Billings Way and pushed him off the vehicle against an articulated truck parked by the roadside.
“He died on the spot, but the corpse was released to the family through Alhaji Mohammed Adamu for burial in accordance with Islamic rites. An investigation is ongoing and we have launched a manhunt for the fleeing suspects.”
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Crime