Victor EzejaNigeria’s federal capital has in recent times been besieged by a peculiar crime syndicate popularly known as one-chance robbers. Barely a week ago, a member of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Network, Ms. Greatness Olorunfemi, was murdered by ‘one-chance’ robbers who threw her out moving vehicle along the Maitama-Kubwa arterial highway.
Prime Business Africa reports that the MO of these dreaded men of the underworld is to disguise as passengers of commercial taxis. After picking up their victims, they soon turn against the unsuspecting passengers while in transit. At gun point, they dispossess their victims of cash and valuables, pushing them out of the speeding vehicle afterwards.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSome of the syndicates in Abuja even operate with POS terminals through which they empty the accounts of their victims after forcefully collecting their ATM cards and pin. A certain John Ezenna had shared his horror experience online with ‘one chance’ robbers after boarding a Navy Blue Toyota Camry car parked by the Lugbe-Berger expressway after the day’s job.
His words, “Few seconds after I boarded the car, a dark man approached and sat beside me. I was still complaining of the inconvenience of two people sitting in the front seat meant for one person, but the driver was determined to carry two people. The car drove off immediately at a high speed while Nigeria hip hop songs were being played.
“The car was silent for a while, then suddenly a quarrel broke out between a man (who happens to be a Hausa Man from the way he spoke) and the three other men as he struggled to resist their assault. “Where is your ATM card, your phone and money? What is your password?”
“One of the passengers, who I later found out to be a robber, demanded in Pidgin English as the two others brought out various small arms like hammers, chisels, daggers and wire cables. At this point I became confused and afraid, I willingly gave them all that they asked but the Hausa man at the back refused to succumb and kept wrangling with them.
“The Hausa man kept proving stubborn, then one of the assailants signaled the others. The Hausa man was stabbed with a knife in his left leg by one of them, while I was slapped with wire cables. We started crying and begging them to spare our lives.
“At this point, the Hausa man handed over his two phones and the sum of N68,000 new naira notes. The Hausa man was injured, bleeding and writhing in agony, the robbers dropped us off along a deserted bush leading to the University of Abuja campus.”
Police Advise Residents On How To Avoid One-Chance Vehicles
Following the growing concern and apprehension of the populace over the menace, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command yesterday advised against boarding unpainted taxis, popularly known as ‘kabu-kabu,’ in order not to become victims of armed robbers, also known as ‘One Chance’.
The Commissioner of Police in the FCT, CP Haruna Garba, addressed a press conference where he called on FCT residents to be wary of the kind of vehicles they board. “It is advised that they should board only painted taxis from designated motor parks,” stressing that “It is risky to board an unpainted taxis otherwise known as ‘kabu-kabu’ as they may fall victims of these robbers known as One-Chance”.
Garba said police operatives in Abuja, while on crime prevention patrol, rescued one Ebere Alice, who boarded a Golf taxi and was robbed by the driver and the gang members of her belongings before dropping her off.
He said that the police gave the hoodlums a hot chase, halted the vehicle and arrested three suspects namely Sylvester Attah, the gang leader, who has been into One Chance robbery for the past three years, Olalekan Salihu, and Gabriel Okwashi.
He added that “the suspects confessed to the crime and the Golf car with Reg. No TKP 624 AA used in committing the crime was recovered. Suspects will be arraigned in court at the conclusion of investigation”.
The police commissioner further disclosed that his men from the Mabushi Division, while acting on a credible intelligence, arrested one Samuel Vincent, a member of a robbery gang, who specialises in robbing unsuspecting taxi passengers of their belongings.
According to him, “The suspect was about to be lynched by an angry mob before Police intervention.
‘’The suspect, alongside three others currently at large, had picked a woman (name unknown) from Karmo heading to Lugbe, and then diverted the vehicle to Mabushi area and dispossessed the victim of her belongings.
“The suspect confessed to his involvement in the crime and the car used in perpetrating the crime has been recovered. Suspect is cooperating with the police on how to apprehend the fleeing suspects,” he said.
Garba also explained that police operatives from Mabushi Division, acting on credible intelligence trailed and arrested four other suspected armed robbers whose names were given as: Oluwatobi Precious (an ex-convict), Theophilous Elkana, Ibrahim Usman and Umar Ibrahim, an ex-convict.
In the CP’s words, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects robbed motorists of their phones while in traffic jam around Mobil filing station, Mabushi and zoomed off in a getaway golf car.
“Suspects confessed to the crime, while the said Golf car with Reg. No. DKA 288 RY, grey in colour, an Iphone 14 Pro Max and several ATM cards bearing different names and substances suspected to be cocaine were recovered from them.”
Garba further disclosed that police operatives from Lugbe Division, acting on actionable intelligence, arrested one Emmanuel Abraham also known as ‘Mosquito’, a wanted and notorious armed robber/cultist linked to various cases of armed robbery/culpable homicide and other cult activities within Lugbe and environs.
“The suspect whose cohorts are presently in prison for robbery of one Mrs Abiodun Okunde, since 29th October, 2020 will equally be arraigned in court at the conclusion of investigation,” he said.
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