Promoted from secret Cult to Armed Robbery

by Akan Ido

John Enajamo, a member of a secret cult was one of the  armed robbers  arrested by the Ogun State police command recently. The robbers who felt they had had a successful robbery outing after they snatched N650,000 from one Mr Obanla Isiaka in Igbesa, Ogun State met their waterloo minutes after the operation, as they were nabbed by an anti-crime patrol team attached to Agbara Division, with the assistance of community members.

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye, revealed this recently while briefing journalists on the achievements of his command at the police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.

Giving the names of the suspects arrested as John Enajamo, Blessing Gonume and Stanley Odimoku, Mr Okoye told journalists that the victim reported that at Viju Milk area along Lusada-Igbesa road, two of the suspects – John and Blessing – riding on a motorcycle, attacked and dispossessed him of N650,000 which he withdrew from a new generation bank in Agbara.

“The quick intervention of the anti-crime patrol team led to the arrest of the two suspects. They confessed to the crime and mentioned one Stanley and Aliu as members of their gang. The said Stanley has been arrested in the course of police investigation, CP Okoye said, adding that the case was under investigation.

In an interview with Crime Reports, John (26), who said he is from Delta State, confessed to committing the crime: “It is true I was involved in robbery but that was my first time in engaging in such a thing. I was first initiated into Eye confraternity. At the beginning, I did not know anything about arms but along the line, I met a man at a drink joint. He was the one who told me about how Nigeria was and the need to struggle for survival.

“I live at Alaba area, Lagos State and was an okada rider. That was where I knew my partner, Blessing. We left Lagos for Igbesa road in Ogun State and traced a vehicle from the bank. It was Blessing  who carried me on his bike. The third suspect was the one who pointed our target to us. He was also on his bike. We used our bike to block the car and I pulled out a gun which I pointed at the driver.

“We collected the cash he went to withdraw from the bank and moved immediately, but unfortunately for us, we had accident at a little distance ahead. The owner of the money saw us and the whole  money got scattered on the road. We couldn’t move with the bike again so we ran into the bush and I quickly removed the trousers and shirt I wore on top of another pair.

“I also threw the gun I was holding into the bush but we were later caught by police and area boys who pursued us. When the police took me back to the bush to search for the gun, they only found my trousers with some cartridges in it but the gun could not be located.”

Enajamo confessed to being the owner of the locally-made double-barrel pistol used for the operation but said “I bought it for N10,000 to protect myself.”

The second suspect, Blessing , also from Delta State, said: “I live at Trade Fair area, Lagos State.

We started robbery operation in January 2014. I knew John since primary school days because we attended the same school in Lagos State. We later became okada riders but after some time, I didn’t see him again.

“There was a day I was taking a passenger to Okokomaiko area and I saw John. He beckoned at me but I told him I wanted to go and drop my passenger. When I returned to him, we moved together and shared our experiences since we parted ways. He later promised to call me.

“I received his call one day and he asked me to pick him. He didn’t explain anything to me. I picked him and he said we should go to Agbara town.

Later, he asked me to move to Igbesa area in Ogun State. At a point, he asked me to park. There was a car in front of me and the driver was making a call. John disembarked and went to the car. I didn’t know what happened between him and the driver but he returned to me and asked me to hurriedly move away.

“The fear with which he hurried me up made me fall shortly after I moved when a car swerved into my lane. As we fell, the cash he held got scattered on the road and I left the bike and ran into the bush. I stayed in the bush for a long time, waiting for quietness so that I could go and pick my bike. But some people saw me where I hid and arrested me.”

Stanley (28), however denied being a member of the gang, saying that he only knew John at a drink joint. According to him, “police raided a joint where I was arrested. I learnt that John had mentioned my name to them when he was arrested after a robbery operation and when I was shown to him, he said he knew me. It is true I knew him at a drink joint but I was not part of the robbery operation they carried out. I never pointed any car to them. I don’t know why he mentioned my name.”