Twenty-five-year old Peter Okenu, an Abakaliki indigene in Ebonyi State, chose to learn trading, and had joined his master, Mr Stephen Anyi, an Enugu State indigene, in his house about two years ago.
He was eating the master’s food and living with him as a kith.
Unknown to Anyi, however, Okenu had sinister plans on how to make money from him through invasion of his house by a robbery gang, and dispossessing him of his car and other valuables.
The plan was carried out on December 27, 2020, but the hen has come home to roost, as Okenu and four suspected armed robbers, with whom he connived, have been arrested by operatives of Ogun State Police Command.
Disclosing this on Thursday, January 21, 2021, the state police spokesman, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi said that the sales boy was arrested following a painstaking investigation embarked upon by detectives from Ifo divisional headquarters.
Oyeyemi said that the detectives had been on the trail of the robbery gang members since the day the crime was committed and reported to the police.
Thenewsbearer learnt that victim of the robbery operation had reported that his house, situated at Kajola Phase 2 area of Ifo, was invaded at about 2:00am by a seven-man robbery gang, with its members armed with guns, cutlasses and axe.
The victim narrated how he and his family members were held hostage, before they were dispossessed of N150,000, his laptop, handsets belonging to all members of his family, plasma television and his Toyota Highlander SUV with registration number KJA 38 FZ.
He added that the armed robbers loaded the robbed items in the SUV and drove away with it.
The PPRO said: “Upon the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Ifo, CSP Adeniyi Adekunle, detailed his crack detectives to begin working on the case, with a view to bringing the armed robbers to book within the shortest possible time.
“The detectives, who had since then embarked on intelligence and technical investigation, were able to trace the hoodlums to Mushin area of Lagos State, where they were about to dispose of the Toyota Highlander.”
The names of the four members of the gang were given as Ibrahim Arowolo (24), Sowemimo Faruk (18), Yusuf Azeez (23) and Yakubu Ibrahim (31).
On interrogation, they had confessed to the police that it was the victim’s sales apprentice, Okenu, who planned with them to rob his master.
The four gang members had stated further that the sales apprentice, who was in-charge of the victim’s shop at Sango, met with them and gave the description to his boss’s residence.
The PPRO said that the confession led to the arrest of Okenu.
Though, he initially denied knowing anything about the robbery, he was said to have been confronted by the gang members who demanded to know why his phone was not taken by them during the robbery operation, if not that he was part of the plan.
One of the suspects told the police that the sales apprentice discussed with one of his friends, and took them to his boss’s house to show them, in readiness for the operation.
Thenewsbearer learnt that he was even the one who opened one of the windows of the building, for the gang members to gain entry.
As they were being led away from the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, after an interview with them, Okenu was said to have turned and sought for a private talk with the police commissioner.
He was said to have opened up that he was indeed a mastermind of the robbery operation that was carried out successfully.
On hearing his apprentice‘s confession, his master, Anyi, was said to have almost fainted, as he found it difficult to believe that Okenu could do such a thing to him.
Recovered from the suspects were a Toyota Highlander SUV, with registration number KJA 38 FZ, a locally-made single barrel cut-to-size gun, a locally-made double-barrel pistol, three cutlasses and four different types of phones.
Oyeyemi said that the Commissioner of Police, who was full of praises for the display of vibrant investigation by the detectives, had directed that the case be transferred to the Violent Crime Intervention unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, for discreet investigation.
Ajogun also ordered that the remaining members of the gang be hunted for and apprehended within the shortest possible time.
