Two dismissed military personnel arrested for robbery in Lagos

Two dismissed military personnel have been arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos State Police Command for robbery and the unlawful possession of fire arms.

The suspects, Uba Ebri and Ofen Prince, both from Cross Rivers state, were allegedly dismissed from the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy respectively, but still went parading themselves as personnel of the military to rob unsuspecting members of the public.

The duo allegedly robbed a major hotel in the Egbeda area of Lagos in 2016, where they had dispossessed their victims of Laptops, mobile phones, cash and other valuables.

Although arrested and charged to court where they had served a six month jail term, the duo however, didn’t learn their lesson as they restrategised and continued their criminal activity upon their release.

The bubble however bust when Ebri allegedly robbed a young lady of her mobile phone in Ikorodu and had subsequently trailed the lady to her house for a follow up attack, but unfortunately, a man of Op’Mesa came to the rescue.

The accused, Ebri said in his statement that he is 24 years old and used to be an army personnel. “But I was dismissed in July 2016 for mistakenly firing at the arms store. Since then, I have been leaving in my village in Cross Rivers State where I farm for a living.”

On his part, Prince who was the one that led Ebri to the Egbeda area where a woman had helped them obtain a fake military identity card said he was not a party to whatever crime Ebri committed except for the identity card.

He said he was dismissed in 2013 after he had been diagnosed a mental illness.

The 23 year old prince said, “I was in church the day I was arrested and had gotten a call firm my neighbour who told me he needed to see me. I told him I was in church and he said he will come catch up with me there. When he called me he was at the Junction of my church, I rushed out to go and meet him only for me to see him with two military police men. Immediately two Op’Mesa men came in and they were with Ebri.

“They asked me if f I knew him and I said yes that we are from the same village. I was also whisked away. I am innocent of this while issue. I don’t rob or do anything against the law with the identity card. It is just that I missed being in the navy.”

SARS operative told The Daily Times that investigations are still ongoing and that the suspects will be charged to court soon.