The police said that the tyres had been stolen from a warehouse in Apapa and shipped to Sagamu, Ogun state before being intercepted by police officers in Ijebu Ode after being on their trail from Lagos. Michael had posed as the owner of the goods and was said to have approached the blind man to help him get a waybill to avoid being questioned by security agents over the ownership of the goods. Iruanya, who was released from the Kirikiri prison in 2010 for stealing, reportedly provided the waybill listing the stolen items and the destination, after a promise of N100,000 from the proceeds.
He confessed: “I was a transporter and had many cars. I was arrested in 2010 for stealing some spare parts, but I was later released. I became blind in 2012. “My friend, Michael, came to me that he needed a waybill. I got it at Tincan in Apapa and he promised to give me N100,000 to treat my eyes. He and I were at Sagamu waiting for the truck to arrive when the police arrested us. I did not know the content of the truck and whether the items were stolen.”
Francis, who was the driver, said that they were fixing a torn tarpaulin used to cover the goods when the police officers caught them in Ogun state. “It was a friend, Peter that invited me to the deal. But he fled at Ijebu Ode while we were looking for a tarpaulin to cover the tyres,” he stated. Chinonso, who acted as the truck conductor, also confessed to the acts, noting that he was promised N150,000 if they succeeded with the operation. The police chief told journalists afterwards: “Within a week, operatives of the command arrested 26 robbers. About 49 live cartridges and ammunition were recovered. The suspects will be prosecuted. “In the course of the encounter with the police, one of them died. In due time, the other suspects will be paraded.”
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