Robbery kingpins, other beg for amnesty.

There was a mild drama at the office of
the Lagos State Police Commissioner in
Ikeja on Friday as three suspects, who
were arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery
Squad, were paraded before the House
Committee on Police Affairs.
The suspects, Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka
Godogodo; Felix Sunday, aka K Money;
and Nwanyim Uche; pleaded for amnesty.
Godogodo had been described by the
police as the most wanted criminal in the
South West for the past 10 years.
He told the lawmakers that he had built
six houses from his loot and never kept
money in the bank in order not to be
traced by security agents.
He said, “I never drank, womanised or
attended social events. Such vices made
one vulnerable and made it easy for the
police to find and arrest you. I had no
friends. I never kept money; I used all of
it to build the houses.
“We don’t kill policemen except on one
occasion when we went to rob in Ajah
area of Lagos State. On that particular
day, we had ended the robbery operation
and were on our way back when my
friend, Odun spotted a police patrol van.
Odun opened fire and killed all of them
because he needed their AK 47 rifles.
“The unfortunate thing about crime is that
you never have peace of mind. The police
were always after me and I never lived in
one particular house for more than a
year. I regret my action now and I would
be happy if I am given amnesty.”
The other robbery suspect, K Money, who
was among the robbers that attacked
bureau de change operators at the
Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos,
and killed two policemen, said the gang
made $4m (N600m) in the operation.
He said he got N45m and became a car
dealer.
He said, “I set up a showroom and
registered my company. I bought many
Tokunbo (foreign used vehicles) from
Cotonou (Benin Republic)and started
selling them.
“When policemen started chasing me and
my boys, I was completely disorganised
and the business suffered. I plead for
mercy sir.”
Uche was said to be a member of the
gang that kidnapped the Chairman, Ejigbo
Local Council Development Area, Mr.
Kehinde Bamgbetan; and a High Court
judge.
The Officer in Charge of SARS, Abba Kyari,
told the lawmakers that Uche’s cohorts
were killed during a shootout with his
men a few months ago.
Kyari explained that the modus operandi
of Uche’s gang was to kidnap their victim,
keep him in a house in the Agbara area of
Ogun State while Uche would watch over
him. The rest of the gang would then
relocate to a hotel and negotiate a
ransom with the victim’s family.
After collecting the ransom, the suspects
would flee to Ghana for some months
before returning for another operation.
Uche, while weeping profusely, said, “I
never knew I would be involved in such a
thing, I never knew I could stoop so low
in life. I plead for mercy.”
The lawmakers, who commended the
police for the remarkable achievements,
berated the suspects for their dastardly
acts.
A member of the committee, Udo Ibeji,
said, “Now, you people (suspects) are
pleading for mercy. You are all able-
bodied men, why didn’t you work like
other members of society? If you are set
free, what of the innocent civilians and
policemen you have killed?”