Adamawa poly student, 4 others arrested for armed robbery, kidnap, murder

The Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has arrested a student of Adamawa State Polytechnic, Felix Agrema, and four of his gang members, notorious for armed robbery, kidnappings and killings in Southern Taraba.

Felix claimed he joined the gang, led by his elder brother, Joe Agrema, still at large, in March 2020.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang was part of the several criminal groups formed at the peak of the Junku and Tiv crisis, which broke out in December 2019.

The crisis, it was learnt, paved want of arms and ammunition into the hands of criminals who were contracted by the warring communities.y for the free movement/

It was alleged that as normalcy gradually returned to the warring communities, Joe and his gang members took to armed robbery, kidnapping and extortion of people from both Jukun and Tiv communities, while they also killed anyone who questioned their actions.

The gang however met their waterloo after the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, received a petition from the affected communities, pleading that the police rescue them from the criminal gang.

On receiving the petition, the IGP immediately deployed the IRT, headed by Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, to bring the activities of gang to a halt.

The directive paid off as Daniel Ihyar, Saheed Yakubu, Teitase Nyenkwa, Lukman Musa and Felix were arrested.

Speaking on the arrest of the suspects, a police source disclosed that the gang was one of the most vicious gangs.

The source, whose identity cannot be mentioned, said: “ The 27-year-old Joe Agrema, who is yet to be arrested, is said to have over 10 Ak47 rifles in his armoury and he commands a large number of boys working for him.

Members of his gang have carried out countless kidnappings, armed robbery and assassination within Southern Taraba and he is presently on the police wanted list.

“He is from the Tiv tribe, grew so notorious and became highly feared by the Jukun people and his Tiv tribesmen as he regularly intimidates them into paying security money to him and he kidnaps or kills anyone that fails to pay or speak against his activities.

The people were forced to write petitions to the IGP, to look into Joe’s activities and bring him to book.

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“The IGP acted swiftly on their petition and he deployed the IRT operatives to trail and bring the criminal empire to a halt. Few weeks into their deployment, the IRT operatives rounded four of Joe’s men including his younger brother and two of his informants who helped in monitoring his victims.”

While making confessional statements, Felix revealed he only participated in one kidnap operation, where some Tiv delegates were kidnapped and N7 million ransom paid.

He said he bought a car from his share of the money. He said: “I am a student of Adamawa State Polytechnic. Joe is my elder brother and we were born of the same father and the same mother.

He is 27-year-old, I got to know my brother was a criminal last December when I came home during the Christmas celebration. I used to see so many bad boys around him whenever he came home and there was a time he sent me to pick some of his guns from his girlfriend.

“In March 2020 I joined him in kidnapping some Tiv delegates who were on their way home after visiting the Governor in Jalingo. We blocked the expressway using army uniforms and we abducted the delegates and the sum of N7 million was paid for their release. I bought a car with my own share of the ransom. ”

On his part, Ihyar alleged he had left Joe’s gang. He also claimed Joe had plotted to kill him for forming his own gang.

He said: “I am from the Gassol Local Government Area. I joined Joe’s gang during the Jukun and Tiv crisis which broke out last year and we fought together during the crisis.

But after the crisis Joe formed a kidnapping gang with all the guns he got during the crisis. He had a camp inside the forest and he came out with his men to kidnap or kill any one that he had in mind.

“I fell out with Joe after he sent me to my community known as Diyan and asked me to tell our people to raise the sum of N300,000 for him which he said he needed to buy arms.

My people were so scared of him and they complied with his directives, but they were only able to raise N150,000. This got him angry and he threatened to deal with my people.

Few days later he brought some of his men to my community and kidnapped a man from Cross Rivers State and the man paid him N250,000 for ransom before he was released .

“After that incident I stopped working with him and I formed my own gang using one of the revolver pistols my community bought for me during the crisis and started robbing people on the highway.

Joe learned about it and he started plotting how to kill me. Some of his boys who were loyal to me, told me about the plan and I tried to stay away from him, before the police came and arrested me.”

Yakubu, 20, also narrated how he worked in the capacity of an informant for Joe. Though a tailor by profession, Yakubu said he monitors targets for the gang.

“I am Fulani by tribe, but I was born in the Gassol Local Government Area. I am also a tailor and I knew Joe through one of my friends.

I am one of his informants and he used to send me to monitor events and people for him. Joe also sent me to monitor a man known as Menassara, who he wanted to kill, and I was yet to complete the assignment before I was arrested.

Joe also killed three of my friends who are also Tiv natives. Their names are Moses, Avarume and VC who is the Vice chairman of the youths.

“He said Avarume supported Junku people during the crisis while he is the Youth leader, and told me that he killed Moses and VC because they were saying bad things about him. Joe used to pay me N10, 000, whenever he sent me on assignment.”