One of the suspected robbers who used to wear army camouflage uniforms and dispossess citizens of their ATM cards in Lagos State has been arrested.
The suspect, Charles Michael, was said to be among a gang of robbers, who used to wear army camouflage uniforms, dispossess their victims of their ATM cards and later use it to make withdrawal from their accounts.
Since his arrest, Michael has been singing like a bird in police cage.
Michael and his gang members used to wear army uniforms to rob.
Describing their modus operandi, Michael said: “I used to go with some men in army uniforms to rob people.
“I really don’t know if they are real soldiers or not, but we used to meet at Mende-Moses Close, Maryland.
“When we see any neatly or expensively dressed person, it is always my duty to stop the person and start a conversation.
“I sometimes used to pretend that I was searching for a particular street.
“As I’m speaking with the person, one of our partners in army uniform would come over and bundle the person into our car.
“The car actually belongs to another member of the gang.
“He also used to wear army uniform.
“Once we drag our victim into the car, people passing by will not complain or intervene because we’re in army uniform.”
Once the gang has succeeded in cornering the victim, they would search the person, dispossess him or her of their valuables and ATM cards.
A police source revealed: “They used to demand the ATM’s Personal Identification Number from the person at gunpoint.
“They would also seize the victim’s phone to stop him from making any calls.
“They’ll drive to the nearest ATM location and Michael would go and confirm the PIN and amount in the account.”
Once the confirmation had been made, the gang would make enough withdrawal legally allowed at a particular time.
After the withdrawal, the bandits would remove the victim’s SIM from his phone, hand it over to him and hold unto the phone.
They would go and drop him at unknown destination.
The police source added: “Once they had dropped the person, they would pick another person.
“That’s how they used to work until nightfall when they would part.”
One day, they robbed a Customs officer in similar manner.
On that particular day, Michael wore a short in army camouflage colour.
He was the member of the gang who went that day to confirm the customs officer’s PIN and account balance.
The customs officer was robbed on Friday evening and the gang made a withdrawal that night.
Between Saturday and Monday, the gang made three more withdrawals.
The Monday withdrawal was made very early in the morning, before the victim went to block his ATM.
The customs officer had accepted his fate and gone back to his life when one day he was driving past Iyana-Ipaja and saw someone wearing the same camouflage short that Michael wore on the day they robbed him.
A policeman said: “He looked at the face of the person wearing the short and was shocked to discover that it was one of the robbers that robbed him.
“He parked his car and went after Michael.
“He caught and arrested him with the assistance of mobile policemen guarding Access Bank.”
The customs officer dragged Michael to the Nigerian Customs Service office on Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja.
Michael was later transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja for further investigation.
He has already told SARS operatives that he used to rob with men in army uniform.
He said: “One of the soldiers used to bring his Honda Baby car for the operation.
“My job is just to get a victim and start a conversation with the person, while the person in the uniform will come and push the victim into the car.”
Michael has denied knowing the homes of other members of the gang, adding that members used to at Moses Close of Mende area of Lagos State.
Confirming the incident, the police spokesperson in Lagos State, Ngozi Braide, said that the suspect had been charged to court.
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