Lukman Olabiyi

A 29-year-old robbery suspect, Ikechukwu Ozorumba, has revealed how his gang killed a driver of Taxify Car Hiring Services in Lagos and dumped his body by the road in order to steal his vehicle

Ozorumba who was on the run since December last year was recently arrested in Imo State by operatives of the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad, (FSARS) at Adeniji Adele, Lagos.

The robbery suspect who ran away from Lagos after committing the crime, revealed to the police how he and one Kelechi aka Sunshine, who is now at large planned and executed the killing of the Taxify driver whom they hired at Bode Thomas, Surulere,  Lagos on their way  to Okokomaiko at midnight of December 26, 2018.

Also arrested with the suspect was one Chima Chukwuemeka, 38, a farmer in Oguta area of Imo State from Amaraku, Isiala-Mbano, Imo  State for allegedly harbouring the robbery suspect in his farm allegedly to evade police arrest.

Ebenezer Olotu from Akoko in Ondo State who resides in Mowe, Ogun State with his family was the driver of Toyota Camry Car with number plate, SMK 980 FM allegedly killed by the robbery suspect.

Nemesis however, caught up with the robbery suspect when the family of the late driver petitioned the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of FSARS, Lagos, Mr Kola,  Okunola Kamaldeen, that their breadwinner who worked  with Taxify Car Hiring Services in Lagos left home for work on December 26, 2018 and had yet to return home.

Following the report, Kamaldeen directed his crack team led by SP Olaniyi Festus to do everything to locate the missing driver.

A police source disclosed that after days of intelligence gathering in Lagos, the police team following a tip-off found the body of the late driver dumped on Jimoh Street, Okokomaiko, Ojo, Lagos.

The police evacuated the body and deposited it in the mortuary.

The source further alleged that the police team later tracked the robbery suspect through the phone number of the victim to Imo State where they arrested the farmer who led the police to his farm in Oguta, Imo State to arrest the robbery suspect.

The robbery suspect also led the police to recover the stolen car at a hideout in Imo State and they brought the two suspects and the recovered Car to FSARS office in Lagos.

During investigation, according to the police, the robbery suspect allegedly confessed to the crime and said that he and his accomplice, Kelechi, now on the run did not intend to kill the driver, but just to rob him of his car and in the process of doing that the driver proved stubborn which led to his death.

Ozorumba who hail from Ubulu Uku, Delta State, was alleged to have confessed to having strangled the driver to death due to his stubbornness.

In his alleged confessions to the police, Ozorumba   stated: “On 26 December 2018, around 11 pm,  we chartered the driver as passengers in Surulere area of Lagos and told him to take us to Okolomaiko area of Lagos and on our way, we ordered him to surrender his car key to us, but he refused  and started struggling with us and in the process, we strangled him to death and dump his body on Jimoh Street, Okokomaiko and drove the  car  to my residence.

“I told everybody that I just bought the car, including my wife, and later I drove it to Imo State to look for a buyer,” the suspect allegedly told the police.

In his own alleged narrations, Chukwuemeka stated: “If I had known that Ozorumba robbed a driver of his car and killed him, I would not have harboured him in my farm till the police came to Imo State from Lagos to arrest me of what I know nothing about,” he stated.

A police source said that the suspects would be charged to court after the completion of investigations.