PHYSINEWS REPORTS:An
operator of a ridesharing service, otherwise known as Uber, is counting
his losses after a three-man robbery gang snatched his car at gunpoint
while pretending to pay him transport fare around an Automated Teller
Machine point in the Obalende area of Lagos State.
The driver,
who gave his name only as Seun for security reasons, was waiting for the
passengers to withdraw money from the ATM when one of them suddenly
brought out a gun.
The two other members were said to have joined and dispossessed him of the Toyota Corolla, his two phones and N16,000 cash.
The robbers were, however, caught by the Close Circuit Television camera around the ATM gallery, where they subdued the driver.
Saturday
PUNCH learnt that the fleeing robbers had disguised as passengers,
asking Seun to take them to Obalende from a clubhouse in Agindigbi,
Ikeja, around 3am.
On reaching their destination, they reportedly
asked Seun to wait for them while they withdrew money from the ATM to
pay the N2,500 fare he charged them.
Seun, who spoke to our
correspondent on Thursday, said as the men were about to reach where he
parked, he noticed one of them was with a gun, but it was too late for
him to zoom off.
He said, “I picked them from a clubhouse in
Agidingbi, Ikeja on Wednesday, September 5, around 3am. They asked me to
take them to Obalende. When we got there, they said they had to use an
ATM to pay me. They told me to proceed to the Sanglose area, but I
declined. They later used one ATM at Obalende. They were to pay me
N2,500.
“I was inside the car and put off the engine. After about
five minutes, I noticed two of them were approaching me from opposite
directions. I suddenly noticed that one was trying to bring out a gun.
Before I knew what was happening, the other man had opened the door from
the passenger side. I was confused.
“The next thing that
occurred to be was to run. I ran towards the gate of the bank thinking I
could get somebody to rescue me. The man holding a gun chased me. He
led me back into the car pointing the gun at me.”
Seun explained
that the robbers zoomed off and headed towards the Third Mainland
Bridge, adding that they ordered him to switch off the General Packet
Radio Services with which his movement was being monitored.
“They
dropped me off around Adekunle and asked for the security code of the
car. I told them I did not know it. They said they only wanted to use
the car for something. They seized my two phones and about N16,000 on
me. They asked me to call my line the following day to know where they
would drop the car. One of them suggested that I should be thrown into
the water, but others rejected the idea. The whole thing happened
between 3am and 4am,” he added.
The driver stated that he ran to
the Iyana Oworo area to report the incident to some policemen on
patrol, but he was directed to another patrol team stationed a few
metres away. He added that when he got there, the policemen could not
reach the control unit to report the robbery.
He said, “They
called somebody to send them a control unit number but the person sent
them a wrong number. I was there for about 10 minutes before we went
together in their patrol vehicle to meet another patrol team at
Olopomeji. They copied the control unit number from the patrol van at
the Olopomeji and radioed the incident.
“They later asked me to
report the case at the nearest police station to where I was attacked. I
reported the case at the Lion Building Division.”
The owner of
the vehicle, who did not want his name in print, said he was
destabilised by the incident, urging the police to intensify efforts in
ensuring the recovery of the car and the arrest of the suspects.
He
said, “The driver has been working for me for a long time and he is
trustworthy. We met with the bank where the incident happened and we
were given the CCTV footage of the attack, which showed the faces of two
of the robbers. The third gang member was captured with a gun, but his
face was not revealed.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in
the state, CSP Chike Oti, said the incident was being investigated,
adding that the perpetrators would be brought to book.
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