by Comfort Oseghale

Four months after the murder of a post-graduate student of Nassarawa State University, Cynthia Osokogu by four men, five suspects have been arrested in Lagos for drugging and robbing commercial bus passengers at various points in the metropolis.

The suspects, Chibuike Mbakwe, Tochukwu Eze, Ifeanyi Okeke, Chidi Eze and Okechukwu Mbakwe are said to be members of a syndicate that specialises in robbing unsuspecting passengers in commercial buses by offering them sachet water laced with sedatives.

Last Tuesday, Chibuike, Eze and Okeke boarded a commercial bus in company with four others in the Ikeja area and headed for Yaba. Unknown to them, it was in the same bus that they robbed a sedated passenger the previous week.

Also, they were unaware that the driver of the vehicle had reported the incident to the Sabo Police Division and he had been advised to watch out for a future occurrence.

Little did this driver know that fate would bring the same group of robbers into his bus again.

CRIME DIGEST gathered that the leader of the gang, a 30-year-old suspect known simply as Chioma, is currently on the run. Usually, his method is well rehearsed. He would sit close to his victim and beckon on another member of the gang who pretends to hawk sachet water by the roadside.

Chioma would then purchase a sachet of water with N20 and ask for a balance of N10. When the ‘hawker’ hesitates, Chioma would buy another sachet and offer it to his victim on the pretext of not wanting to forfeit the balance.

Naturally unaware that it had been tampered with, the victim would accept the offer and drink the water. Everything happens within a few minutes.

As expected, after about 10 minutes or so, the victim becomes drowsy and eventually falls asleep. Everything of value in the possession of the victim is then stolen by Chioma who later alights from the bus before its final destination.

In an interview with CRIME DIGEST, the suspects said the effects of the sedatives usually wore off after three hours.

 Describing how he got involved with the gang, Chibuike said, “The leader of our group is Chioma. I met him in Alaba market in 2011. At the time, I was trading in phone accessories. After we became friends, he told me how he was able to rob people by sedating them. Eventually he convinced me to abandon my trade and join his gang.

“Chioma always picked his victims. I don’t know how he chooses them. All I did with the rest members of the gang was to gang around the bus park with him and board the same bus with him. This will enable the bus to fill up faster and our presence close to Chioma also provides cover for his activities.

“I have no idea how the sachet water is laced with sedatives. A full bag, except one sachet of water is usually laced with sedatives and packaged before it is brought to the park.”

Unfortunately, he was unable to identify what substance was mixed with the ‘pure’ water.

Okeke was identified as the ‘hawker’ in the gang. Only last year, he had returned to Lagos from his hometown in Anambra State

For more information read http://www.punchng.com/feature/crime-digest/bus-driver-conductor-squeal-on-suspected-robbers/

We are developing Lagos - at the speed of light.

This is bad. May God help us all...

A total waste of natural Ingenuity and youth.
A total dis-service to Mankind and The fellowship of trust.
What-a-mess.com!

Na wao.

The kind of evil brain, wicked thoughts the heart of man is capable of!

I'm shocked.

if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

beware of freebies.