Twin brothers, 2 others nabbed for using military camouflage to rob commuters
By Joy Joseph
Twin brothers who pretend to be commercial bus drivers, but rob commuters of their valuables, using military camouflage and a locally made gun, have been arrested by operatives of the Force Intelligence Response Team, IRT, in Lagos.
Identified as Taiwo Ojomo and Kehinde Ojomo, the suspects were reportedly arrested alongside two other members of the gang, Emmanuel Bamidele and Peter Samuel.
The Daily Times reports that the suspects are said to be children of retired officers of the Nigeria Army and were arrested by operatives who trailed them to a popular hotel in Idimu area of Lagos State, while they were planning operation.
It was gathered that the team, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, got information about the suspects, after one of their victims, Abiodun Sadiq, a resident of Bariga area of the state, was robbed of his Toyota Corolla Saloon car and other valuables at gunpoint in August 2020.
According to a police source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the victim, Sadiq, was said to have written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, detailing how he was robbed by members of the gang and operatives of the IRT were subsequently deployed to track down the suspects.
The source disclosed that when the operatives commenced investigations, they had difficulty in arresting the suspects as they were seen hiding at the Ojo and Ikeja Army Cantonments.
The source said: “While we couldn’t arrest the suspects because they were hiding at the military cantonments, we went after their trusted receivers at Alaba International Market and we arrested and made them organise a rendezvous for us.
The robbers were told that we had a big robbery operation for them and we agreed to meet in a hotel at Idimu area of Lagos and we got there, we found them seated and drinking and we apprehended four of them,” the source stated.
In his confession, Taiwo, aged 29, alleged his brother, Kehinde, lured him into armed robbery, but that they operated two separate gangs to evade arrest at same time. He said: “I am 29-year-old Ojomo Taiwo and I hail from Oke-Oka Akoko South West Area of Ondo State. I reside close to Ikeja cantonment area.
My father was a retired soldier while my mother works with Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA).
“I attended Nigeria Army Children School in Ikeja and dropped out of secondary school because there was no money. In order to survive, I learnt how to drive from one soldier who is now dead.
I was introduced into robbery by my twin brother, Kehinde, and we have gone for several robbery operations in Lagos. Later I joined another gang but whenever he wants me to assist them, I go and join his gang.
“As a bus driver, we normally rob passengers early in the morning or late at night. Our gang members will be in the bus or we will pick them along the way. Kehinde has his own gang while I have mine.
It was necessary so that we would not be caught at the same time. The camouflage was worn by one of us so that our target will assume that it is safe to board the bus since there is a soldier inside. We normally do it along lonely routes like Abeokuta expressway, Lasu Igando route and Ikorodu road.
“The highest that I have made after robbery is N100,000. It is also the job of Samuel to sell all the valuables that we got during each operation.
He has customers at Alaba international market where valuables like phones and other electronic gadgets are easily sold. I do not know the buyers. Other members of my gang are Bamidele Emmanuel known as DPO and Babangida.
“The weapon that we are using belongs to all of us. We all contributed money and bought double barrel gun from one Alfred who lives in Cotonou.
He brought the gun to Nigeria for us. “We normally hide the weapons inside my car so that even if police should search our house, they will not find anything. On the day I was arrested, I was in a hotel in Idimu with my twin brother, Ojomo Kehinde, planning how to stage another armed robbery attack before we were busted by operatives of IRT. “Unfortunately, the operatives forced me to show them the part where I hid our weapons, which I kept under the dashboard.
I know that it is a shame that my brother and I are robbers. Police should please forgive us.” Similarly, Kehinde admitted to introducing his twin brother to crime.
He said: “I reside inside Ojo Barracks. Taiwo is my twin brother and both of us dropped out of secondary school after our father who was a soldier died. My mother could not afford to train us.
I was sent to learn how to repair vehicles which I did for years till I met one Cyril who was my longtime friend.
We formed a three-man gang with one Maji. I was the one who introduced my twin brother into robbery. “He kept asking where I got money and I had no choice but to show him the way.
Along the line, we felt it was necessary to separate so that police will not catch us together. Unfortunately, the day I wanted to help his gang was the day police arrested us. We have attacked persons severally along Oshodi Bridge at night.
It was there that we snatched the Toyota Corolla that my brother is using. “The camouflage that was found with us is just to deceive people and rob them, I am not a soldier.
I normally use my late father’s ID to pass any point where people or police challenge me. I thank God that we have not killed anybody since then.”
On how they snatched Sadiqe’s car, he said they flagged down the Toyota Corolla at Oshodi, begging that he gives them a ride to Iyana Oba.
“We told him we were ready to pay and that was how we struck. I was pushed into crime because of greed. I am ready to help police arrest the rest if he will forgive me,” he said. Samuel, who is a 22-yearold shoe cobbler from Benue State, said he didn’t have the opportunity to go to school because he lost his mum when he was a teenager, hence his sojourn into crime.
“My father is a retired army officer and while he was in service, he served Ikeja military cantonment, he is currently working as a security officer at Ajah, Lagos. I am staying with my brothers and sisters in Ikorodu. I met Kehinde about four years ago and he is now my best friend. We normally meet at Indian hemp joint at Oshodi to smoke and discuss the way forward.
“It was two months ago that he told me that he wanted to snatch a car for our usual robbery operation. We took a toy gun and at about 9p.m. we stopped a cab man and told him that we are going to IyanaIba.
To further convince him, we paid the cost of the fare without bargaining. Along the route close to Mile 2 Bridge, we forced him to stop and took over the car. “This was how Kehinde got his own car.
We did several operations before I decided to go for my own way. We could no longer agree on the sharing formula. I formed my own gang and we were able to snatch one Sienna bus.
Unfortunately, the police saw it where we parked it and confiscated it. We cannot go and claim because we do not have documents,” he said.
