Lagos ATM robbery: Police nab 28-yr-old gang member

Lagos ATM robbery: Police nab 28-yr-old
gang member
on december 20, 2013 at 1:54 am in news
By Ifeanyi Okolie
LAGOS— The police in Lagos, yesterday, said they
have arrested a 28-year-old member of a robbery
gang, Nonso Egbuzobi, that killed three policemen
while attempting to break into an Automated Teller
Machine, ATM,  of a second generation bank in
Ayobo area of the state in November.
Vanguard gathered that two members of the gang
were also killed during an earlier encounter with
operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, at
Ilasamaja area of the state.
Four AK-47 rifles, with serial numbers 403647,
132969, 5008685, 20640 and 24 AK-47 magazines,
all loaded, were recovered from the killed suspects.
Sources disclosed that the AK-47 rifles belong to
policemen killed during the Ayobo and Igando Police
encounters with the bandits.
Two of the rifles were said to be those of late ASP
Longinus Amuzie and one of his colleagues
attached to Ayobo police station  who were killed
while responding to a distress call at the bank,
while one was snatched from a policeman killed
while on guard at a  a hotel in Igando area of state.
The bandits, however, met their waterloo when they
attempted to rob a man of N10 million at Ilasamaja
area of Lagos.
SARS operatives led by SP Abba Kyari, were said to
have gotten a tip-off and engaged them in a shoot-
out, killing Daniel Onuoha, and Eyo Bassey, with an
army identity card, while Nonso Egbuzobi was
arrested alive.
The Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, who
paraded the suspect, yesterday said he received
information on the robbery and ordered his men to
foil it by all means.
Manko added that investigations by SARS
operatives led them to a house agent who helped
the robbers secure accommodation and when their
house was searched, the four AK-47 rifles, which
belonged to slain policemen, were recovered while
the agent was also killed while attempting to
escape.
He said a police walkie-talkie with which the
robbers monitored police movement was recovered.
When Vanguard interviewed captured Egbuzobi, he
said he only followed the gang to one operation.
According to him, “some weeks ago, I was at a
snooker joint around LagosStateUniversity when a
man approached me, saying he had a target that we
could rob at Ilasamaja. I told him I was not a robber
but I knew people who were capable.
“I approached one robber known as Fine Money and
I connected him with the person that gave me
information.
“On December 4, 2013, Fine Money picked me up in
a SUV around Mile 2 and I led him and two other
guys to the house at Ilasamaja and we were told
that the victim had N10 million in his house.
“They all had guns but I decided that I would only
remain in the car. However, before they could come
down, policemen started shooting at us and
everyone in the vehicle died except me because I
hid on the floor of the car.
“Like I said, this was my first time and I did not rob,
I only gave the robbers information that they
needed. I am a responsible man and even a
footballer at LASU. It was poverty that pushed me in
to it.”