Detectives attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, have arrested a 38-year-old man, Andrew Valentino, who uses his Uber car for one-chance robbery operation.
Three other members of the gang, identified as Tony Onwoluwe, 29; Adesoji Oluwafemi, 36 and Idoko Michael, 33, were arrested by detectives at Ikate area of the state after robbing some innocent persons of their money and other valuables.
Valentino said he connected with the three other suspects at a bar after the engine of his car broke down, but he had no money to fix it. He said he was still at the bar till late hours on that fateful day when Idoko approached him. When he explained his predicaments to him, Idoko promised to assist him make more money through the car after it has been fixed.
According to Valentino, they later met at a different bar where Idoko then told him how to use the car for a one-chance robbery operation.
He said: “Immediately, I called the owner of the car to inform him about his vehicle and he promised to get a new engine at Ladipo market. I pledged to refund him the money we used to buy the engine aside the normal installment payment and we both signed the agreement.
“After we had fixed the car, I went back to Idoko. That was how we started the operation. We always operate on Ajah-Lekki road alone, after which Adesoji and Onwoluwe later joined us in the deal.
“Whenever we picked passengers from Ajah coming to Lekki or any part of the state, we would take them to an isolated place. We would then threaten the passengers with a tyre jack, which we improvised like a gun and then collect whatever the person is having with him or her, push him out from the vehicle and zoom off.”
He added: “Valentino and I would sit back as passengers, while Oluwafemi would drive and Onwoluwe would hold the Tyre jack at the front sit as if he was also a passenger. Unknowingly, when a passenger entered the car, the driver would then tell Onwoluwe to cock the gun, Onwoluwe would then use hammer to hit the jack as if he was cocking the gun truly, out of fear, we would then ask the person to bring out his or her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and also get his pin. We would then drive to an ATM machine in an isolated place and withdraw money.
“When we were done, we also pushed our victims out from our car and speed off and then shared the money among us, with the owner of the car taking the largest share of the money.”
Speaking on the arrest, the state police boss, CP Hakeem Odumosu, said the command would not rest until they get rid of ‘one-chance’ criminals in the state.
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