A 30-year-old businessman, Supurochuwuku Eze, arrested for diverting a trailer loaded with generators have told police that he was a victim of circumstance.
Eze confessed to the police that he had no idea that the generators, which he bought from Okeke were stolen items.
Eze, who is married with two children, said: “I was told that the generators were imported. I was told that the brother of the driver, who sold the goods to me, imported the generators. I was told that they were ready to sell them at giveaway prices”.
He added: “We negotiated N9.7m, and I gave them an advance of N530000. It was on the day I received the goods that I gave them the advance payment. I also sold 30 pieces of the goods to a trader called Onuora for N1.2m. I then took samples of the goods to Onitsha to look for buyers. While in Onitsha, I was arrested by the police. The police later arrested everyone connected to the business.”
Eze and other suspects, Okeke, Chukwuwike, Nwachukwu and Onyebuchi Edeh, were arrested after they had successfully diverted and sold a 40-foot container carrying 600 pieces of Elemax Power generators
valued at N50m for the sum of N500, 000.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT.
The police alleged that the suspects specialised in diverting goods from the Tin-Can and Wharf Sea Ports in Apapa area of Lagos State.
According to police sources, a truck driver, Okeke, who works for a popular haulage company in Ago-Okota area of Lagos State, is the leader of the syndicate.
The police further said that Okeke usually takes his truck to the Lagos sea ports in search of goods, and when he finds any of value, he would divert it and later sell it.
The police source said: “The suspect, Okeke has been on the Police Wanted List for a long time following his activities as a notorious truck driver who specialized in diverting goods belonging to
businessmen across Lagos State. The owner of the Elemax Generators approached the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, after he discovered that his goods were missing. These goods got missing after it was cleared from port.”
IRT operatives, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, were swiftly deployed to investigate and locate the missing generators.
The operatives traced the stolen items to Onitsha, Anambra State, where some of it were sold. It was gathered further that the main receiver of the goods, Eze, was arrested in Onitsha. Eze would later lead the operatives in arresting other members of the syndicate. Some of the generators were also recovered at the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
Speaking, Okeke, 30, said: “I’m a truck driver. I work with a haulage company located at Ago-Okota. I was employed in December 2017”.
Okeke added: “I earn commissions from my company. I worked with them for only five times before I was arrested by the police. Before I was arrested, the manager of the company called and told me to take some goods to Alaba International Market in Ojo, Lagos State. The moment I took possession of the goods, I thought it was an opportunity for me to change my life. I called one of my customers known as Ozor and told
him that I had diverted a truck, and that I wanted to sell the goods. He linked me to one Sunday, whom he said would buy the goods. Sunday then linked me to his brother, Eze, who showed interest in buying the
goods. After negotiations, Eze instructed us to take the goods to a house in Ikorodu. He said that we should keep the goods there. He offered to pay N9.7m, but he gave us an advance payment of N440, 000.
This was in December 23, 2017. We shared the money among ourselves. We each used the money in celebrating the Christmas. We were expecting the balance on the first week of January 2018. I started calling Eze for my money, but he asked to come to Onitsha. When I got to Asaba, I was arrested by a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Goodluck Imuetiyan, of the IRT.”
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