The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 36-year-old Amos Daniel, a robbery suspect who stole his employer’s car on the very day he was hired as a driver. Daniel confessed that he took the car to his church to give a testimony about God’s miraculous provision.
In another case, two dismissed soldiers, Akeem Suleiman and Abdulau Mohammed, along with two civilian accomplices, were paraded among other suspects for their involvement in a robbery gang. The gang allegedly conducted their operations wearing military headgear. The police recovered military gear, uniforms, and identity cards from the dismissed soldiers.
Also paraded was 25-year-old Thankgod Kesh-David, who posed as a roadside mechanic to repair broken-down vehicles, only to steal them.
During a briefing at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja on Tuesday, SP Benjamin Hudenyin, the command spokesman, said, “We have successfully arrested a robbery gang through our tactical team based in Surulere. The four-man gang specialized in snatching vehicles at gunpoint from motorists in Lagos. Two of them are dismissed soldiers who carried out their crimes wearing full military gear.”
He continued, “We also have someone who was employed as a driver. Unfortunately, the employer did not conduct due diligence. The same day he started as a driver, he ran away with the car and could not be traced. Interestingly, he dedicated the car in church the following Sunday, testifying about what God had done for him.”
Speaking with journalists, the arrested driver, Daniel, said, “I stole my madam’s Lexus car and took it to the church to testify that God has blessed me. I intended to use it for Uber and use the proceeds to pay my debt. I stole the car on June 23, 2024, the very first day I was employed, and I took it to church on June 30, 2024.”
One of the dismissed soldiers, Akeem Suleiman, who claimed he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army in 2017 for desertion, told journalists, “I started robbery in April 2024. Anytime we stole a car, I drove it to the receiver’s place. We stole cars randomly. If we saw anyone parked and wound down, we dragged them out and drove off in the car. We operated in the Ajah area of Lagos, using a local gun. But we never killed our victims.”
The Command’s spokesman advised employers to exercise due diligence when hiring drivers or domestic staff, including conducting background checks at the Central Criminal Registry at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, and the forensic unit before employment. He added that the suspects would be charged in court for their crimes.
