By Christopher Oji
Four suspected armed robbers who raided the home of Super Eagles player, Eddy Ogenyi Onazi in Jos, Plateau State, have been arrested in Lagos.
The suspects were arrested at the Ajamgbadi area, of the metropolis on their way to Badagry where they intended to dispose off the Toyota Highlander Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) ,stolen from the footballers’ father, Wilson Onazi.
A six man armed robbery gang had on Sallah day stormed Onazi’s Jos home and stole a Toyota Highlander car. One of the suspects, Ngochukwu Ebuka, 26, who described how the operation was carried out, said, it took his gang one week to plan the attack, but that only three of them carried out the operation proper.
“It took us one week to conclude plans on how to carry out the attack. It was Kingsley who resides in the same street with the old man that brought the information about the house. On that fateful day, we arrived in the house around 10am. Joe, one of the suspects, knocked at the gate and a few minutes later, an elderly man emerged from inside the compound. He opened the gate. At first we did not know that it was Onazi’s father because Kingsley another suspect, who brought the deal, did not go with us.
“Three of us tried to force our way into the compound, but the man resisted. He appeared drunk that morning. So, we overpowered him. We wrestled him to the ground. We told him we were not going to harm him if he cooperated with us as we only wanted his money. “We discovered that the old man lives alone. There was no guard at the gate. No cook or wife, but just him alone in a big house.
“Joe held a cutlass ,we threatened him with it, but we did not use it on him. We asked for money, but he said he had no money. I think he gave us just N5,000 and his ATM card. We took a bag containing two pairs of canvas. We collected the SUV key parked in front of the house and drove away.
“We arrived Ajangbadi on Tuesday and stayed in an hotel. We met one Osita Ezeana at a drinking joint. We told him we have a car to sell. We had not agreed at a price when the police arrested us.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the suspects yesterday at the command headquarters, Ikeja, said they were probably heading for Seme border where they intended to sell the car.