The engine of the boat used in the operation and The arms recovered from the suspects
A robbery suspect arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command has claimed that he joined a 10-man gang of armed robbers because he thought they were only carrying out illegal bunkering. To his surprise, he said, their trip to the high sea turned out to be a robbery operation.
Christopher Okhe said he did not realise that he was involving himself in a robbery operation until the gang attacked the crew of a ship and hijacked it with Ak47, pump action rifles and jack knives, dispossessing the hapless crew members of their money and other valuable items. At that point, he said, he had no choice but to play along with the gang, particularly because it could be an opportunity for him to solve his pressing financial problems.
Twenty-eight-year-old Okhe, a native of Auchi, Edo State, who narrated his role in the sea piracy gang in a chat with our correspondent, said: “I live with my mother at No. 23, Olubaka Street, Kirikiri, Lagos. I have participated in piracy on the high sea twice. Before then, I was helping my mother to sell fruits on the street so that our family could get some money for feeding.
“One day, a man I had never met before saw me and sympathised with me when he saw me selling fruits with my mother in the scorching sun. He asked whether I could work in a factory and I said yes. He helped me to secure an employment in a Lebanese factory behind Kirkiri town. The factory produces bathroom slippers.
“With the little money they paid me monthly, I was able to help my mother in her fruit business and in taking care of the family’s feeding. Unfortunately, the factory folded up in 2009. This made me to go back to help my mother in selling fruits.
“My problem began when I met a friend called Apase at the birthday party of a girl whose boyfriend was a big boy in Ajegunle (Lagos). He threw the birthday party for the girl. Apase had purposely taken me to the party so that I could meet some big boys and make friends with one or two to show me the way to wealth.
“He told me that majority of the big boys were into drug pushing, oil bunkering, importation of cars and exportation of local products to West African countries like Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Liberia. He told me that the choice as to the way forward depended on me. I told him that I liked oil bunkering and he linked me with a guy called Job.
“After some days, Job asked me whether I could go to the sea with him. I was excited about the prospect of becoming an oil magnate and was ready to follow him any time he wanted.
“Three days later, he called me on the phone to meet him somewhere at Badagry area. When I got there, I saw about five guys already prepared to follow him to the high sea. I joined them. On getting to the high sea, we saw a ship carrying diesel. We moved near it and before I knew it, they were inside water, pumping diesel and crude oil from the ship into the jerry cans in our boat. Three of our members were armed with AK 47 rifles and they so positioned themselves that anybody who dared to threaten interfere from the ship would consider himself dead.
“It was a hitch-free operation because it was night and the sailors were asleep. At the end of the day, I was given my own share of the loot in dollars and Job helped me to change it to naira. It was N500,000 for me as water board boy, bailing out water.
“I thought we were only involved in oil bunkering. But the way they attacked sailors and collected their money and other personal belongings in the ship, the torturing of crews and what they did before they pumped diesel into our more than 80 drums told me that we had delved into armed robbery. But it was too late to back out. Worse still, I needed money badly.”
Asked how he was arrested, he said: “It was my second journey that nailed me. On May 20, 2012, Job called Kayode (another suspect) and I on the phone to go to the front of Ibese beach and wait for him for a job.
“I asked him the kind of job he had for us and he said we would be going to the high sea to carry oil and rob some white people. He said we should all be clever, saying the white people in the high sea, according to the information he had, were carrying a lot of dollars.
“We went to the beach as he directed. When he arrived with seven others in a boat, he beckoned on us to come and drag the boat to the land area at the beach. Job said they were coming from Ondo and that there was no more fuel in the boat they had sailed in.
“He said we should go and buy fuel. Unfortunately, the natives who were at the beach saw them and gathered where the boat was. As they were asking them who they were and where they were coming from, some of the vigilance men among the natives looked into the boat, saw three AK47 rifles and screamed: ‘They are armed robbers! Catch them now before they open fire on us!’
“How Job and seven others escaped is still a mystery to us because only two of us were arrested and taken to the Oba’s palace.
“When the Oba (traditional ruler) saw us and the four rifles, he did not waste time in alerting the police. I think it was the operatives of SARS that the oba called, because I saw the OC/SARS, SP Abba Kyari, who asked me the whereabouts of the other seven members and I told him that the people were beating me and I could not look to know where they ran to. I was beaten into coma by the vigilance men. Therefore, I could not have known how the others escaped.”
The second suspect, Kayode Owowumi, (23), a native of Obiogbaru village, Ilaje, Ondo State, said he was an ex-convict.
He said: “My father is a fisher man and I work with him. I am married with three lovely kids. I have two wives. I had two children from the first wife. When my mother’s business was no longer fine and she was no longer having enough money to give for my wife’s maintenance, she ran away. She used to spend thousands of naira on bleaching cream, powder, lipsticks, perfume and small stout. She ran away and abandoned my two kids with my mother.
“My second wife had only one kid for me. She later travelled abroad when I was sent to prison. It was her mother’s sister that took her along when she travelled.
“I was residing in Ituagan area on Snake Island happily with my family until my mother’s business collapsed and my going to prison worsened things.”
Asked why he went to prison, he said: “In January last year, one Shola hired a boat from Makoko in Ebute Metta. The owner of the boat he hired was one Wilson. He asked Wilson to look for a driver and he hired one boy as the driver. I don’t know the name of the driver. He later asked for an engineer and he came and picked me as a boat engineer.
“Shola gave Wilson money to buy fuel. When we reached Igbokoda town in Ondo State at about 7 pm, Wilson called Shola and told him that he had reached Igbokoda. They went there with one long stick and a big black bag, which was not opened in our presence.
“We later entered sea, and as we were sailing, Shola opened the bag and I saw three long guns. He then announced that what we had just seen were the tools for the job and that from that point on the high sea, we should be taking orders from him.
“Five minutes later, we saw a trawler with six crew members and our driver crossed it while Shola shot in the air and ordered the trawler’s driver to take us to Cotonou side, but they pleaded that they had no papers to ply Cotonou waters and it would be dangerous to patrol their waters without permission.
“Fortunately, we saw a ship entering Nigerian territory and we jumped into it with that long stick we had come with. When we sighted naval people, we ordered the trawler’s driver to move far into the high sea. We later robbed the ship and escaped to Igbokoda. There the militants pursued and arrested us while Shola escaped with our money.
“The villagers gathered and combed the place and arrested nine of us, namely Monawara, Omonisa, Timi, Laja, Ore, Wilson, Oriade, the owner of the boat whose name I don’t know, and my humble self.
“We were later charged to court and were awaiting trial for alleged robbery. I was in prison when I got Job’s mobile phone number. I spent only six months awaiting trial before the families of the other eight arrested with me contributed money and gave our lawyer to fight for our bail or acquittal.
“The lawyer said it would cost each accused person N150,000 to fight for acquittal. I was not able to contribute a kobo because I had nothing. But luckily, the eight others shared mine and added to what their families contributed. The whole money contributed for our release was N1.35 million.”
Asked why he preferred their case to go to court, he said: “The court is the place where we can have rest of mind. We prefer the courts because that is where we have an opportunity to defend ourselves. Our lawyers are afraid of SARS, and the little attempt they made, they were asked to go to court and wait. Armed robbers have no right in SARS; you are either innocent or confirmed. After investigation, if you are found innocent, they will even apologise to you and arrange for a vehicle to take you home with respect. But if you are confirmed guilty, the only thing your lawyer will do is to shift to the court. Our relatives know about it and are making preparations; like which lawyers will represent us and the role they are supposed to play.
“I know that I am heading for court again and God who I worship in spirit and truth will see me through in the court.”
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