Robbery suspects who posed as bank customers nabbed

isaac

June 1, 2015 1:41 PM

Two armed robbery suspects who posed as bank customers and trailed their victims from banking halls, Chinedu Okeke and Kolawale Best, have been nabbed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), of the Lagos State Police Command.

The 32-year-old Okeke, who is also accused of murder after he shot dead a victim while trying to snatch his money, confessed to SARS operatives that he and his gang used to monitor customers in banking halls, trail and rob them. He also confessed that he had to kill his victim when the man refused to hand over his money on demand.

He said:

"I had to shoot him because he refused to obey order and drop the money he had just withdrawn from the bank."

According to police report, Okeke and his partner, Best, were arrested on April 24, 2015, when they robbed a man who just left the banking hall of a new generation bank at 21 Road, Festac, of N500,000.

The report said:

"Okeke belonged to a three-man gang. The robbers specialised in going into banking halls to monitor customers withdrawing huge sums of money. They would later attack such customers while they are heading to their destinations from the bank. The gang also used to embark on house-to-house robbery.

They were apprehended by policemen moments after they had carried out a robbery operation."

While Okeke and Best were arrested, their alleged gang leader identified as Ben, managed to escape.

On the operation that led to their arrest, the police say, the gang leader, Ben, was right inside the banking hall, monitoring customers coming in to make withdrawals when he noticed the victim going out of the bank with the money.

Ben quickly alerted other members waiting outside the bank. He described the victim to them. As the man was driving towards the direction of Orile Police Station, Okeke double crossed him with the gang’s operational car. Okeke jumped out from their car and pointed a gun at the victim. He ordered him to hand over the money to him. The man, however, refused.

Infuriated, Okeke shot the man, snatched the money and drove away with Kolawole in the man’s car, while Ben followed in their car. Ben took N200,000 while Okeke and Kolawole shared N300,000.

isaac