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TWO suspected robbery kingpins that have been terrorizing residents in Ketu area of Lagos have been arrested by the police.  Two other members of the gang are said to be at large and detectives are hot on their heels.  The arrested suspects were identified as Ekene Igbonezu and Sunday Emeka, while the fleeing members of the gang are Tony and Kelechi, a.k.a. Biggie. Reports said they were arrested after one Dr. Onafaliyo Akin, a lecturer with the Lagos State University, LASU, reported that four armed robbers broke into his apartment at No 33, Oremeji Avenue, Ketu-Ijanikin, tied up his guards and carted away valuable items. The suspects, Ekene and Sunday It was gathered that a team of anti-robbery detectives from Ijanikin division promptly swung into action and pursued the bandits. They were later arrested, while items  recovered from them include an ash-coloured Nissan Pathfinder  SUV with registration number  AA355 EPE, Nissan Sunny car with registration number AGL 572BH, a generator, Tecno phone, Rolex wrist watch, a wedding ring belonging to the wife and the sum of N22,000  cash. Prior to this report, on December 31, 2013, one Eze John residing at 16, Jubliee Estate, Ijanikin, also reported to the Police that at about 2am, four armed men entered his house and made away with cash and valuables which include jewellery whose value was not stated, cash of about N12,000. and an ash-coloured Toyota Highlander SUV with registration number EKT 416AW. On further investigation, Ekene Igbonezu, suspected to be the brain behind the robberies was tracked via his mobile phone and arrested at Zephas Hotel, Ajangbadi through the combined efforts of patrol teams from Ijanikin and Ilemba-Hausa Police stations.    Upon further interrogation, the suspects confessed that they were the brains behind series of robbery incidents in Ijanikin and Ilemba-Hausa and its environs. Crime Alert learnt that on April 10, 2014, the suspects led Policemen from both divisions to No.13, College Road, Rabiu- Adio Street, Apapa, residence of one Jude Ubannatu, where the stolen vehicles belonging to the second complainant were recovered. Narrating his role in the robbery incidents, Ekene Igbonezu told Crime Alert: “I was introduced into armed robbery last December, by a friend called Kelechi, a.k.a. Biggie, who usually came to a relaxation centre near my house in Jubilee Estate, Ketu, along Badagry expressway. “One day while drinking and relaxing, Biggie saw an SUV which was parked close by, and he asked me who owns it. I showed him the owner, who happens to be a neighbour. We then arranged on how we would carry out the operation. Suspect’s account Few days later,  Biggie called me on phone and said that somebody will bring something for me at the bus stop. When I got to the bus stop, I collected a black bag which contained an iron cutter from the person. “Later in the night, he called me to bring the iron cutter for him. I asked him what he wanted to do with it and he said that they want to make use of it at that estate to steal my neighbour’s SUV. That day, I slept in Zephas Hotel, because I didn’t go with them on the operation for fear of being recognized. When they finished the operation, they called me that they had succeeded and I met them at an agreed location where I drove the stolen SUV to Apapa. I bought the Rolex wrist watches which they stole from my neighbour from Biggie.” How he forged vehicles’ papers “When I got to the wharf in Apapa, I met some of these touts and I told them that I have a vehicle that has no number and Customs papers. One of them said that he can do it and we bargained. In less than 30 minutes, he had done papers for the SUV and I paid him N30,000. After getting the necessary papers for the vehicle,  I carried it to my village in Ihiala Local Government Area of Imo State, the next day to meet Ejike Odili, a prospective buyer who had told me that he wanted a vehicle.   In my village, they  are aware that I work in Apapa as a clearing agent but they didn’t know that I had stopped working there because I had some issues. “When I got to the village, Ejike said he had no money to purchase the vehicle because it was after Christmas season and that he would get a buyer for the vehicle, but he kept driving the vehicle.     After the Yuletide, that was in January, I told him that I wanted to go back to base and continue business, so he sold the car to a friend for N1.3m and gave the money to me. The profit after selling it was N300,000 because of the expenses which we incurred.   And I got N150, 000 from that deal. Buying and selling of phones “After that operation, I abandoned my house in Lagos and started selling phones in Aba, I would come to Ikeja in Lagos and buy phones and take them to Aba to sell. Last month, I received a call from Ejike who said a friend of his wanted to buy Sienna, that was when I called Biggie to notify him that the guy that bought the first vehicle needs another one. Biggle asked how much are they going to pay and Ejike said he will pay N500,000 and we told him that the least we can sell is N800,000. “I came back to Lagos for another operation after Biggie called me. I slept in Zephas Hotel at Ajangbadi. When Biggie came, he said we were going for another robbery operation and that was when I met Sunday Emeka for the first time. We were four that went for the operation that night, Biggie, Sunday, Tony and I. When we got to the compound, Biggie and Tony jumped inside the fence while Sunday and I waited outside. When they got inside,  they tied the gate man and asked Sunday to give them the iron cutter, they opened the gate and entered the main building. They brought the keys of two vehicles, generator, plasma TV, and asked Sunday and I to take the vehicles outside. I drove the Nissan Sunny  while Sunday drove the Pathfinder SUV. “So, we drove both vehicles to Alafia in Orile. When we got to Orile,I called Ejike in the morning to notify him that the vehicle was available. He gave us N250,000 advance payment. I called Ubanatu Jude’s townsman who lives in Tolu, Ajegunle that I wanted to park two vehicles that I brought from Cotonou in his place and he agreed.   I drove the vehicles to his place. All these while,  I never told Ejike Odili or Ubanatu Jude that the vehicles were stolen; they knew nothing about the operations. I don’t know where Biggie gets  ammunition from and how he has just disappeared.” Sunday Emeka  34 yr-old father of three “I am a trader, I sell electrical parts at Alaba international market. I got involved in robbery after I was duped by a travel agent who was supposed to take me to Switzerland. In order to survive, I engaged in hustling jobs, which was how I met Lewis, a friend before he had problem with goods diversion, and was brought to SARS and is now in jail at Kirikiri. After Lewis was jailed I had no means of survival. So I asked Biggie to lend me N5,000 to enable me visit Lewis in Kirikiri prison. He said he will call me later. True to his word he called me five days later that I should come to Zephas Hotel. Immediately, I boarded a bike to the hotel. I met Ekene and Tony, who were drinking with Biggie for the first time, so I joined them. Biggie asked me if I can drive; I told him yes, and he said I would help him drive a car. We stayed in the hotel till about 10pm and then Biggie instructed that we move in pairs to Pako in Ketu.” “We moved in pairs, I was with Ekene, while Tony was with Biggie. We all converged at Pako in Ketu and discovered that the place was locked, so Biggie opened it with pliers and asked us to walk down to the end of Pako.  When we got there, we hid inside the bush because of the vigilante guards. Tony brought a bag which contained ammunition while Biggie brought out an iron cutter. Tony brought out two locally-made guns from the black bag he carried and gave Biggie a single barrel shotgun while he took a double barrel shot gun. He also brought out four red bullets, gave Biggie two and took two. He gave me the iron cutter. “When I saw the riffles, I shouted to Biggie in my dialect; what is happening?. He said I should keep quiet. Tony then asked Biggie what I said because he doesn’t understand Ibo language. Biggie then told him what I said and he asked me to relax and not mess up the entire operation.  I kept quiet.  We kept waiting for the security men to come out but they didn’t, so we walked inside the area. On our way, Biggie and Tony caught two men who were returning from a party, while the third one fled. They took us to where the security men were staying that night. When we got there, we met two security men, the other two fled when they heard the noise. We asked them to call the other guards that there was no problem, which they did and the other guards returned.  We released the two young men returning from party and tied the guards. “Ekene and I watched the guards while Biggie and Tony jumped into the building.   I threw the iron cutter inside, which they used to open the big gate. They brought the keys of a Nissan Pathfinder SUV and a Nissan Sunny car, Plasma TV set, generator, and laptop. When we got to Cassidy bus stop, Biggie asked me to stop the vehicle while he carried the Plasma TV, generator, laptop and his bag which contained the cutter.   He said he would contact us later. So, I drove the SUV to Alafia in Orile,  we parked in one of the streets waiting for one Ejike who is a townsman of Ekene, to bring money.   Ejike came with N250,000. and they gave me N60,000. I left them there and boarded a bus back home. How I was arrested “Three days later, I used the money I got from that deal to buy turkey, chicken and fish from Cotonoue which I stored in a cold-room. Few days later, I found a customer who bought some of the consignments from me. The day I sold the turkey and chicken, Ekene kept calling me on phone to come to the hotel, so I went there to meet him without knowing that he has been arrested. When I got there, I met him and some policemen who arrested me. They took me to Ijanikin Police division and from there, they brought us here.  I believe that God wants to arrest me because he knows that I will like to follow them again in another operation. This is the first time I am participating in robbery that entails using ammunitions.”