MICHAEL AKINOLA
A top businessman, Oniyide Babatunde, had a nasty experience in Lagos State after he engaged two Benin Republic cooks and it turned out they were hardened criminals as they brought their armed gang members, who attacked and robbed him of diamond and gold jewelries worth N30m during the operation.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the painstaking investigation carried out by the Police detectives from the Lagos State Command unmasked them, as the suspects were tracked in connection with the robbery.
The two suspects, Francis Dalumental, 29 and Alex Odi, in Police custody, were sent by their leader, identified as Matthew, from Cotonou in Benin Republic to Nigeria as cooks for the purpose of robbing their employers.
Unknown to him, Babatunde was said to have brought Odi and Francis to his house at Coleman Nwafor Street, Eleganza area of Lekki, Lagos, through Matthew as cooks.
However, having stayed in the house and monitored their boss, Odi reportedly arranged with Francis and other gang members and attacked Babatunde and with guns, cutlasses, axes and even inflicted injury on his body before they robbed him of the items and escaped. Some of the items they carted away included Rolex wrist watch, diamond, gold earrings and diamond chains worth the said amount and escaped.
After the operation, Odi relocated to Sango Ota in Ogun State while Francis moved to Ibadan and started looking for another job as a cook. Meanwhile, all the items they carted away were given to Matthew, who sold them to one Isa Mohammed for N2m and they shared the money.
After the operation, information leaked out to the victim, Babatunde, that Odi and Francis were behind the operation. Thus, he wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police, who then ordered for the investigation of the robbery incident.
In course of investigation, one of the suspects, Odi, was arrested and detained for interrogation. He made confessional statement and revealed information which also led to the arrest of Francis and Mohammed.
During interrogation, Odi told the Police that he hails from Bopa in Cotonou, Benin Republic, that he was a trained cook and married to one Dorcas, who had a son for him named Godwin.
“Sometime in July 2022, Matthew sent me to Eleganza to work there to enable me to steal gold and diamond from Babatunde, which we succeeded in doing and we gave the items we stole to Matthew, who then sold it to Mohammed before he went back to Cotonou after we shared the money. Immediately we succeeded, I relocated Sango Ota and started looking for another work before I was eventually arrested by the Police.”
While the Police were still looking for Matthew, who was said to have escaped to Cotonou, Benin Republic, Odi, Francis and Mohammed were charged before the Yaba Magistrates Court for conspiracy and armed robbery.
The prosecutor, Supol Thomas Nurudeen, asked the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for advice since it was a serious offence allegedly committed by foreigners.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. P.E. Nwaka, ordered their remand in the Correctional Centre pending when the DPP’s report will be ready and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to DPP for advice.
The matter was adjourned pending the outcome of the DPP’s report, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.