The police in Abuja recently paraded three suspected robbers, who were arrested while
attempting to rob the First Bank Plc., Mpape branch last Saturday.
According to
the report, an employee of First Bank, Larry Ehizo, 30, was alleged to have led
three others, Timothy Joe, 21; Princewill Obinna, 24; and Elijah David, 19, to
the bank in an attempt to steal a huge sum of money from the bank.
The fourth
suspect, simply identified as Patrick, was gunned down by security agents
during the failed heist, while a manhunt has been launched on the fifth member
of the gang, identified as Ernest.
Narrating
his ordeal to the Police, Ehizo, who allegedly masterminded the robbery, was
said to have also driven his gang members to the bank premises in his Peugeot
206 car with the number plate SBG752FP and provided directions on how to access
the vault.
The First
Bank employee also allegedly gave them black fez caps to cover their faces
before he disabled the close circuit television cameras on the premises.
While
parading the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal
Capital Territory, Bala Ciroma, said efforts were being made to arrest other
members of the gang, who are on the run.
He said,
“Four locally-made pistols, one Peugeot 206 car with number plate SBG 752 FP,
two cutlasses, two daggers, one axe, a pair of pliers, one Infinix Note phone
and one saw blade were recovered from the suspects.
“Efforts are
being intensified to arrest other members of the gang, who are currently at
large.”
Narrating
how the failed heist was executed, David alleged that Ehizo informed the gang
members that the robbery would rake in N7 million and assured them that only a
few staff members would be at work on the day of the incident.
David
further explained that the banker administered an oath of secrecy on him before
they went for the operation.
Robbery suspects
Entering the
bank premises, the 19-year-old explained that they saw the policeman on duty
sleeping, adding that they tied him with an old sponge and proceeded to the
banking hall, where they also tied up other workers on duty.
He said, “Mr
Larry (Ehizo ) told us that the job could fetch about N7 million. After we
entered the bank, we saw a riot policeman on duty but sleeping, so Obinna
pointed a pistol at him and we tied him with an old sponge.
“Mr Larry
told us that he would keep the other door open for us.
“So, Larry
and Obinna later went upstairs with a pair of pliers to disconnect the CCTV. On
our way out, Larry suddenly shouted, ‘Ah, the MOPOL has escaped’; then, I ran
inside and all of us scattered.
“I didn’t
know what to do. Then the police began firing teargas into the premises.”
David
further said Ehizo attempted to implicate his colleagues after they were
arrested.
“I decided
to untie the other bank workers because the teargas could kill them. I
apologised to them. When we came out, we saw a lot of policemen and soldiers;
they pointed guns at us and asked who arranged the robbery, then Mr Larry
pointed at an innocent man, but I said it was Larry,” he stated.
Explaining
his roles, Obinna said Ernest informed him about “a bank job” on December 24,
2019, which would be executed in collaboration with Ehizo, adding that the
banker assured him and his friends that he would facilitate access to steal
money from the bank.
He said, “Mr
Larry told us there that there was a deal he wanted us to execute and that it
would not take more than 10 to 15 minutes.
“He said the
bank would not operate on Saturdays and that if we could come around, he would
help us to get the money out.
“We
discussed how to walk in there when the security personnel would be unavailable
and other things. So, on Friday, we organised ourselves and on Saturday, we
carried out the operation.”
Obinna, a
photographer, added that Patrick provided the guns used for the robbery the
night before the operation.
“Patrick
said he would stay by the gate, because he is taller than all of us and he has power
to fight,” Obinna stated.
But Ehizo
said he was blackmailed by Ernest to carry out the heist, adding that he
(Ernest) threatened to deal with him and his family.
Ehizo
stated, “Ernest is a customer of the bank and that is where we got to know each
other, because I work in the customer service unit of the bank. There is a
place I used to drink, that’s where he works as a barman.
“He told me
to tell the gang members how to get inside, show them where the CCTV was and
that I should show them where the police officer on duty would be.
“When we drove into the bank, he even called me,
because he was across the bank. He said I should just do as agreed and out of
fear, I said yes,” Ehizo claimed
