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Confession of robbery kingpins
•25 storm Synagogue Church
By Jossy Idam
Sunday, November 29, 2009
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•Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
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Members of a church in Lagos State are still wondering how 25 armed
robbers, who sat in their midst, got up and reeled out the gory,
chilling details of their deadly, dirty past.
One of them even hid his gun in the church’s flower garden
and concealed some live bullets in his trousers. He came to while
away time in the church before going out for operation.
“I rob in traffic. So, I came to wait for it to start before
I go out,” he said.
As the service progressed, the General Overseer of The Synagogue
Church of all Nations, Pastor T.B. Joshua, openly said that some
armed robbers were in the church. He urged them to come out for
prayers and deliverance before it was too late. Silence greeted
his pronouncement. No one moved. He went on preaching and between
that still requested for the armed robbers to come out.
Mild drama
The pastor soon walked up to a man – a seemingly quiet-looking
fellow and said: “Stand up.” The man gingerly stood
and followed him to the podium. The pastor, in his characteristic
manner, stretched his hand towards the man and uttered a silent
prayer. Perhaps knocked down by the force of the prayer, the man
collapsed in a heap and lay lifeless for minutes.
The pastor ordered him to stand up and asked him what he had hidden
in his trousers pocket. Somewhat tongue-tied, the man mumbled incoherently
and brought some live bullets.
Wild emotions
With that shocking display, the church members went wild with emotions.
Some wanted to pounce on the man. Some wanted to call the police.
Others not too numbed by shock, prayed loudly for the man’s
repentance and salvation. But the pastor acted swiftly. He calmed
everyone before the man found his voice. He was led by a church
warden to where he hid a sawed-off gun in the church’s flower
garden. Television cameras focused on him as the service was broadcast
live on the church’s Emmanuel Cable TV.
“I wait at a corner, target big cars, knock on their windows,
show my gun and the person will stop and open. I take money and
handsets. Na so I live in Lagos,” he said partly in Pigeon
English.
The man went on and confessed how he randomly robbed for years on
major streets of Lagos. Some owners of jeeps and other luxury cars
at Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Ikeja, Surulere, Festac, Ikotun and Maryland
may have fallen victim to him.
Large turnout
As though on cue, the confession made other bandits to come out
for deliverance. By last Sunday, 25 mean-looking, self-confessed
armed robbers from different parts of the country literally besieged
the church. Sunday Sun learnt they want deliverance and rehabilitation.
Some of them spoke exclusively to Sunday
Sun.
Prince of thieves
This short but deadly terror is from the northern part of the country.
He once ruled the underworld there with a 25-man gang. His words:
“I have been in it since 2001. I got into it when my father
died; he was a church minister. That time I had a demo gospel CD.
I wanted to come out with it but no one helped me. I became angry
and went to Jos. The man I met there trained me. When he died during
one operation, I took over. That was how I got guns and recruited
my boys.
Recruitment
We select the people we recruit. I used to go to bars and nightclubs
and search for hard boys. I buy them drinks and cigarettes. I befriend
them, make them to like and trust me before I introduce them to
it. We take oath at a very powerful juju man’s place. We also
buy protection, that is, charm against bad luck and police bullets.
Bad early life
I used to go to school but I stopped in JSSII. I was following bad
boys, smoking hemp and drinking. But my father and mother didn’t
know. I lied to them that I had part-time job in a factory. All
were lies.
Operations
It all depends on where we want to rob. All of us don’t always
go out at the same time. We go out in batches of four and five.
Another thing is, all us of don’t travel together. We go in
bits, in twos. We meet at graveyards. The place is normally lonely.
So, we plan our operations there. After going out, we go there and
bury our guns in graves with corpses. But if we want to go into
a new town, we usually hide our guns inside bags of rice, maize
or garri. So with that method, the police didn’t catch us.
Black night
One night we wanted to rob a big place. All of us came together
to plan it. We smoked, took hard drug and drank to ‘cook’
ourselves well. But on our way there, a torchlight flashed. Before
I could tell my boys what to do, gunfire started. All my boys perished
that night. Good boys – all of them, well-trained good shooters
died.
Bullet touched me here and there but I vanished. When they were
shooting at us, I touched something – a powerful charm one
Baba gave me. I later found myself in a thick forest.
The voice
While in the forest, walking about confused, I heard a voice. I
think it must be God. He told me: “Have you forgotten that
you are a gifted singer? Use your voice and earn a living. If you
rob again, you will die.” I became afraid for the first time
in my life.
I left the forest and went to my father’s friend and told
him everything. He took me into his bedroom, put on the television
and I saw what Pastor T.B Joshua was doing on Emmanuel TV. That’s
how I came here. I’m now a new man. May God and people I’ve
wronged forgive me...(sobbing).
The field marshal
In the underworld, he acts and operates like a Field Marshal. He
leads and directs the operations of his 17-man gang. For 12 years,
the gangling 31-year-old gangster reigned.
Hear him: “Well, I have been in it for 12 years. I had 17
boys working with me. Three of them are dead and four are in prison
now. We started as friends in school. We formed a cult. The cult
united us as brothers. We mixed our blood, drank and swore not to
betray each other. That is why we were successful for years.
“I have a family. But I don’t like my father and mother.
They drove me into this. They used to tell me that my mates were
doing better than me. So, I left home. I began staying with bad
boys. I have done all kinds of things. Last year, I was even in
jail. Anyway, that is past now.
“While we robbed, I never thought of tomorrow. The money I
made went just like that. I gave them to friends. After buying guns
and bullets, every thing went to women and drinks.
Hope
I want to establish as shoe making shop. I’m now a born again.
When I leave here, I’ll go and bring my boys for deliverance.
Crime doesn’t pay. I regret now.
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