Police Nab PMS Robbers, Arrest Hijackers

LUCKY LAWAL

Operatives from the Lagos State Police Command foiled a robbery incident, recovered a tanker with 40,000 litres of PMS and arrested two notorious petroleum tanker hijackers while others are now at large.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, at about 19:00hours, on Saturday 28th December, 2019, acting on the strength of information from a reliable source, Police operatives from Itire Division led by the Divisional Police Officer, SP Barkfur Kromkyes, intercepted and voided the robbery of a DAF 85 tanker with registration number GAG 743 XN loaded with 40,000 litres of petroleum products along Iyana Itire pin down point, Mile 2 Expressway.
According to the PPRO, the 42-year old truck driver, Muhammadu Mande, from Yauri, Kebbi State and his conductor, 34-year old Lawali Usman, from Minna, Niger State, who were rescued unhurt said his truck was loaded with 40,000 litres of PMS at Swift Depot, Apapa and was billed for Kontagora in Niger State.

In his statement, unfortunately on getting to a bad portion of the road at Mile 2, four men in military uniform stopped him and asked what product he was carrying before ordering him and his conductor out of the truck into a red Toyota Corolla.
The two suspects, who are now in Police custody, took possession of the truck. The driver and his conductor were sandwiched by the four men in military uniform in the Toyota Corolla. The truck was driving behind the Toyota Corolla and heading to an unknown destination before it was intercepted by the Police.
According to the driver, he initially thought the hijackers were military men on stop and search duty until they started beating him and his conductor and threatened to kill them if they refused to follow their orders.
The two suspects, who took over the truck, 37-year old Charles Obllomo, who resides at No. 22 Bara Ayetoro Street, Boundary-Apapa and 35-year old Osita Onyeka, who resides at Wasai area Orile, Lagos, were arrested and taken to the Police Station.

The four other suspects in military uniforms escaped with bullet wounds after a fierce battle with the Police. The truck and the Toyota Corolla were recovered and moved to the Police Station. Two pairs of vehicle plate numbers and military caps were recovered inside the Corolla.

The truck containing the PMS was handed over to the owner, 55-year old Sani Samaila, the Manager, Petroleum Nigeria Limited, Kontagora, Niger State. The owner of the truck was full of gratitude to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police for coming to their rescue. He said that truck owners had suffered lot of losses from the activities of those truck hijackers in the past without remedy. But since the arrival of the new Commissioner of Police and the deployment of Police officers on vehicle and motorcycle patrols, such ugly incidents have reduced. He narrated that the syndicate usually hijacked trucks, offload the content in locations mostly outside Lagos State and abandon the truck for the owners to find after some days or weeks.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, directed the Commander, Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) to take over the investigation and ensure that the fleeing suspects are arrested. DSP Bala Elkana said that investigation is ongoing and the two suspects will be charged to Court at the conclusion of investigation.