Foreigners now rob freely on highways

By Sunday Aborisade, Ibadan

Armed robbers suspected to be foreigners have taken over major highways in the country unleashing terror on innocent Nigerians after dispossessing them of their valuables.






Investigations by our correspondent in the last one week revealed that the robbers were usually armed with sophisticated weapons suspected to be pump action guns.

Eye witnesses who sighted them near the Ogere Toll Gate area of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway last Wednesday explained that the men of the underworld dressed like the Arabs.

A traveller, who escaped from their attacks last week and monitored their modus operandi from a short distance, said the robbers, numbering about 20, wore police uniforms.

Recounting his experience in an interview with our correspondent, an Ibadan chief who craved anonymity, said the incident occurred between noon and 1.00pm last Wednesday.

He said, "I was on my way to Lagos last Wednesday when I sighted the robbers operating on both sides of the Road near the Ogere Toll Gate. I saw people turning. I turned too.

"One of the occupants of my vehicle jumped down immediately and hid himself in the bush, watching the activities of the robbers. He witnessed the whole drama live!

"Many of the travellers attacked were shot and wounded after the criminals carted away their valuables worth thousands of naira.

"The most painful aspect of the unfortunate development was that the robbers operated freely for one hour only for the police to surface few minutes after the robbers had gone," he lamented.

The Ibadan Chief, who said the incidence will linger in his memory for many years to come, noted that it was his first experience since he had been travelling on the highway.

He called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as the lives and property of Nigerians were no longer safe on the road.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/nov/4/412.html

Pay back is a bitch.

Payback on who

This is most busy highway in Nigeria.

Sad country, indeed.

Horror stories about multi-hour-long blockades at points along several of the major access highways to Lagos, by scores of heavily armed North African-featured men in turbans, have in the past year multiplied.  These gangs have fast earned a reputation for gratuitous and unprovoked shootings in the course of their robbing grid-locked motorists, and one of their trademarks is evidently the daylight mass rape of female victims herded to the roadside.

For a few years now, battle-scarred Chadian secessionist rebels, fleeing the unending desert wars of their homeland, migrated with their guns south across the largely unmarked border desert wasteland into Northern Nigeria, where they took to armed highway robbery like sharks to the water during the sardine run.  These renegade militiamen from Chad and Niger have savaged motorists in many areas of Northern Nigeria for nearly a decade now, but were never seen south of the Niger Benue River confluence until just the past 12 months when they launched concerted attacks on the Lagos to Benin Expressway, blocking that major economic artery DAILY, for a while, and on one surreal occasion, returning to the SAME location FOUR times in the SAME DAY, despite exchanging fire with the outnumbered policemen dispatched to confront 3 of those 4 highway blockades. 

The thought of murderous, suicidally fearless Chadian militiamen, sharing highway ambush and plunder duties with trigger-happy Nigerian-raised bandits out to harvest funds with which to celebrate Xmas and New Year's festive seasons, should rightly put the fear of God into the heart of any person contemplating road travel within Nigeria during those upcoming holidays,  a perilous time-window during which, ever more frequently now, only moments and yards separate a pleasant road-trip from a forced breakdown on the Highway to Hell.

thanks Jakumo.

It is indeed HIGHWAY to HELL in a country with $60billion external reserve.

shotster50:

Payback on who

Nigerians contribute a lot in highway robbers in most foreign countries now it's time for foreigners to return that favor and terrorize their own citizens the same way our Nigerian brothers did to them. Next one will be foreign prostitutes.

Deep Soul:

@Poster
When you say payback's a bitch, I hope you don't mean what I think you do,

The fact that we have had cases of Nigerian robbers doesnt mean innocent Nigerians deserve to die.

What if you'd been there?

You can talk to Hausa about that after all they are the ones that bring in their criminal brothers from Niger and Chad to rob in Nigerian roads as illegal immigrant robber or illegal robbers. .

PepERSprAY:

You can talk to Hausa about that after all they are the ones that bring in their criminal brothers from Niger and Chad to rob in Nigerian roads as illegal immigrant robber or illegal robbers. .

In which countries have you witnessed Nigerian high way robbers?

In which countries have you witnessed Nigerian high way robbers?

Ivory Coast, South Africa, Uk, Italy, USA etc

PepERSprAY:

Ivory Coast, South Africa, Uk, England, USA etc

Are you kidding me? How come i never hear of the Uk highway robbers even when i live there

Dont worry, change is coming

shotster50:


Are you kidding me? How come i never hear of the Uk highway robbers even when i live there

A lot of Nigerians use their personal computers as arms to rob people in UK.


Correction: I meant UK and Italy.

PepERSprAY:

A lot of Nigerians use their personal computers as arms to rob people in UK.


Correction: I meant UK and Italy.

Foolish talk. You dey talk like you no get common sense. Are you present when this "lot of nigerians " are using computers to rob. Please think before you talk. Your statement almost equates that 80 % of Nigerians are crooks


Thunder fire your mouth

suyaspray is sufferin from nulogical hmm spellin case

s

Foolish talk. You dey talk like you no get common sense. Are you present when this "lot of nigerians " are using computers to rob. Please think before you talk. Your statement almost equates that 80 % of Nigerians are crooks


Thunder fire your mouth

Na your behind the thunder go first fire. yahoo yahoo

PepERSprAY:

Ivory Coast, South Africa, Uk, Italy, USA etc

I live in USA now. Where in USA do these Nigerian highway robbers resided in?

I live in USA now. Where in USA do these Nigerian highway robbers resided [/b]in?

[b]18 most wanted Nigerians in the US!


•Adebowale Shekoni (40) •Abiodun Bakare (37) •Rilwan Ayatonde Soetan (50) •Kenneth Eromosele Abulu (36)

•Olelcita Folayan (41) •Musiliu Balogun (40) •Mutiat Titilola Olubi (51) •Ahiata Folashade Price (46)

•Monsuratu Omoniyi Griggs(43) •Ayodele Soyan (51) •Ahuama Benjamin Okey (50)

•Basiratu Mojisola Bakare-Giles (47) •Adegboyega Olukunle Odedina (36) •Alex Ahmed Ero (51)

•Seye Richard Osinoiki(46)


ARRESTED

. Steve Adedeji •Apampa Olayinka •Olugbemiga Adebisi (a.k.a.) George Banks





They are our compatriots. But they operate in other shores.

Their activities are an embarrassment to all of us.

They indulge in crimes for which all of us should flinch.

Indeed, the United States Secret Service and narcotics agents have dubbed the 18 as some of the most wanted on their list.

A manhunt is on to arrest 15 of them. Already, three others have been arrested by Interpol officers in Lagos.

They are wanted for multi-million dollar bank frauds, identity theft, drug pushing and, in the case of one of them, the rape of an expectant mother.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of Interpol, Mrs Atinuke Koyi confirmed the arrests of three of the suspects.

The United States Secret Service, U.S Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA), United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the office of the New York State Governor, David Paterson named some of those wanted as Adebowale Shekoni (40), Abiodun Bakare (37), Rilwan Ayatonde Soetan (50), Kenneth Eromosele Abulu (36), Olselcita Folayan (41), Musiliu Balogun (40) and Mutiat Titilola Olubi (51).

The others are: Ahiata Folashade Price (46), Monsuratu Omoniyi Griggs (43), Ayodele Soyan (51), Ahuama Benjamin Okey (50), Basiratu Mojisola Bakare-Giles (47), Adegboyega Olukunle Odedina (36), Alex Ahmed Ero (51) and 46-year-old Seye Richard Osinoiki, who is wanted for the rape of the expectant mother.

Those already arrested are: Steve Adedeji, Apampa Olayinka and Olugbemiga Adebisi (a.k.a.) George Banks).

Reports say that the U.S Federal Bureau of Intelligence(FBI) has also embarked on a joint operation with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) in Nigeria, to arrest others who may be hiding in the country.

In the US, the dragnet, according to Assistant Director of Criminal Investigations at the FBI, Chip Burrus, involves 56 field offices. He said: “We hope that publicity would help find and bring the fugitives to justice.”

Nigerian Compass learnt that Shekoni, who was residing in Atlanta, Georgia, was indicted for 13 bank frauds, conspiracy, passing counterfeit cheques, interstate travel in aid of racketeering and money laundering conspiracy. His case summary says he entered the United States illegally and had been involved with a counterfeit cheque cashing ring.

Those involved in cheque kitting frauds against multiple banks, which had caused the United States millions of dollars in losses to banks and merchants, usually open business accounts, mostly under gas station identities. They use the bank cheques to float between bank accounts and systematically withdraw money from these accounts prior to the banks awareness that the worthless cheques are either drawn from accounts with insufficient funds or closed accounts.

They also use worthless cheques drawn on the accounts to buy items from wholesale distributors.

The case against Soetan is listed thus: “Aggravated identity theft and fraud.”

The Secret Service, Miami office says: “Rilwan Soetan is a Nigerian national identified as part of an organised group responsible for the compromise of more than 2000 personal credit card reports. Subsequent aggravated identity theft/fraud perpetrated by Soetan and his group have resulted in significant financial losses.”

Bakare, who is wanted for financial crimes, is also accused of using a vehicle to knock down a Federal Officer while escaping arrest.

The case summary states: “This individual is wanted for charges related to financial crimes and assault on a federal officer. Bakare ran an elaborate financial scheme in which he used stolen personal information to open fraudulent credit card accounts.”

Folayan, a DEA- listed fugitive, is accused of Federal drug violations, including alleged conspiracy to distribute heroin in the Northern district of Illinois. His poster warns people not to attempt apprehending him. Rather, people who see him should alert the U.S Marshals Service.

A warning from the Secret Service on the fugitives says: “Do not attempt to apprehend any of these individuals. Contact the Secret Service or local police; or, if overseas, the nearest US Embassy or Consulate if you have information regarding these individuals.”

Federal Agents in the United States say that Musiliu Balogun, who has been on the run for about five years, was behind a drug distribution network, moving as much as 80 per cent of the white heroin coming into the United States from Southeast Asia.

When the ring was smashed, 24 suspects were arrested and over 72 kilogrammes of heroin seized. Balogun and his girlfriend Mutiat Titilola Olubi were identified as leaders of the drug cartel. They were once sighted in Togo and Thailand.

Born on September 5, 1963, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Balogun is believed to be one-metre seventy-six centimeters tall. He weighs 75 kilogrammes, has black hair and brown eyes.

Besides Mutiat Olubi, details of crimes committed by other Nigerian women who appeared on the Most Wanted list were also given.

One Ahiata Folashade Price is wanted for conspiracy to distribute heroin. Monsurat Omoniyi Griggs and Basiratu Bakare-Giles were accused of the same offence in different regions of the United States.

Detectives at the Detroit Division are still searching for Ahuama Benjamin Okey, identified as Fugitive NCIC-W163933955. He is wanted for alleged Federal Drug Violations and conspiracy to distribute heroin at the Eastern district of Michigan.

In the Maryland district, Odedina is wanted for bank fraud. US Postal Inspection Service in Colorado district is looking for Ahmed Ero over mail fraud.

Information at the Atlanta office of the Secret Service Agents shows that a 36-year-old Kenneth Eromosele Abulu is wanted for passing counterfeit currency and using false identification.

The US Secret Service investigative mission is to safeguard the payment and financial systems of the United States. It has been collaborating with Nigerian agencies striving to give the nation a good image.

“When they send specific request to us, we assist in tracking the criminals. But if they're looking for somebody and a formal request is not made, there is nothing we can do,” said Mrs Koyi, the Interpol boss.

She said following specific requests, her men arrested one 50-year-old Olugbemiga Adebisi aka George Banks. According to her, Banks was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on arrival from China where he had served a one- year jail term for bank fraud.

Detectives even wondered why the fugitive calls himself George Banks, the name of a Pennsylvania mass murderer, who shot 13 people in 1982 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, five of them his own children.

In the US, the Nigerian George Banks was declared wanted for Access Device Fraud, Aggravated Identity theft, mail theft, social security number violations and other frauds. He allegedly escaped from New Hampshire to China and committed the same offences.

The Chinese authorities, however, got him.“Each time Adebisi commits the crimes, their monitor catches him. Yet, he kept on running from one country to another,” a source told Nigerian Compass.

In China, Adebisi seemed to have found wisdom in the saying “When you're in Rome, do like the Romans.” He bleached his skin and altered his features to look like the Chinese.

The two other persons in Interpol's net are Steve Adedeji and Apampa Olayinka. They were caught when they approached the US Embassy to renew their visas, thinking that the search for them was over.

Interestingly, the Interpol allowed them home on bail after the US Secret Service failed to respond to letters sent by the security outfit. Adedeji and Olayinka now report at the Interpol office at Alagbon every Monday.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Mr Olayinka Balogun told Nigerian Compass that the SFU had been collaborating with international agencies to check the activities of fraudsters.

His words: “Generally, they send scam letters to us and ask us to help track some of these criminals. There are some cases that we are working on right now.”

On his part, EFCC's spokesman, Osita Nwaja admitted the anti-graft agency's collaboration with the American agencies, saying, “We have good working relationship with the major agencies around the world. FBI is one of the backbones of the EFCC, it has trained some of our people. We've worked extremely closely with them. We've had some joint operations in Lagos area and intercepted outbound mails sent by fraudsters with fake cheques and all sorts of documents. We're also working with the German police and the South African Scorpion. They have so much trust in the EFCC because of our achievements in the war against fraudsters over the years
Compass News Online | All The News, All The Time

It's only the ignorant fool that thinks that 419 is different from armed robbery. Again, many Nigerians rob banks with rifles in South Africa.

Do they hold Nigerian Passport or US Passport?

PepERSprAY:

18 most wanted Nigerians in the US!


•Adebowale Shekoni (40) •Abiodun Bakare (37) •Rilwan Ayatonde Soetan (50) •Kenneth Eromosele Abulu (36)

•Olelcita Folayan (41) •Musiliu Balogun (40) •Mutiat Titilola Olubi (51) •Ahiata Folashade Price (46)

•Monsuratu Omoniyi Griggs(43) •Ayodele Soyan (51) •Ahuama Benjamin Okey (50)

•Basiratu Mojisola Bakare-Giles (47) •Adegboyega Olukunle Odedina (36) •Alex Ahmed Ero (51)

•Seye Richard Osinoiki(46)


ARRESTED

. Steve Adedeji •Apampa Olayinka •Olugbemiga Adebisi (a.k.a.) George Banks

i guess that explains why Yorubas are tagged the educated crminals.

PepERSprAY:

18 most wanted Nigerians in the US!


•Adebowale Shekoni (40) •Abiodun Bakare (37) •Rilwan Ayatonde Soetan (50) •Kenneth Eromosele Abulu (36)

•Olelcita Folayan (41) •Musiliu Balogun (40) •Mutiat Titilola Olubi (51) •Ahiata Folashade Price (46)

•Monsuratu Omoniyi Griggs(43) •Ayodele Soyan (51) •Ahuama Benjamin Okey (50)

•Basiratu Mojisola Bakare-Giles (47) •Adegboyega Olukunle Odedina (36) •Alex Ahmed Ero (51)

•Seye Richard Osinoiki(46)


ARRESTED

. Steve Adedeji •Apampa Olayinka •Olugbemiga Adebisi (a.k.a.) George Banks

Thanks for the list. 
It's funny how Yoruba people will instantly say Igbo people are the ones going aboard and doing criminal activities. They claim Igbo people are the ones destroying Naija image.
I did not see any Igbo names in that list.
Sterotype is a bad thing but who cares, 
Yorubas, Igbos, Hausas, Fulani, Ijaw, etc are still family.  We are all Nigerians and we need to work together to fix those people doing criminal activities in Naija and overseas.

You know you contradicted yourself in that statement right, Ify

KarmaMod:

You know you contradicted yourself in that statement right, Ify

Where?

bringing up the fact that Yoruba names populate that list then going into some babble about unity.

what unity

KarmaMod:

bringing up the fact that Yoruba names populate that list then going into some babble about unity.

what unity

Your misinterpreting what i'm trying to say.

The reason i added that part is because i've read way too much comments from Yoruba's always saying that Igbos, Ijaws, Edo's and Hausa's are the ones ruining Nigeria's image but ya'll always act as if there aren't any Yoruba criminals aboard (even though their are some).

And unity part is something Nigerians need.
The only way to fix our problems is by fixing our hatred towards eachother.

pepperspray represents us now? or who is 'yall"

unity cant come when people continue to point fingers.

KarmaMod:

pepperspray represents us now? or who is 'yall"

unity can't come when people continue to point fingers.

Oh for God sake, your reading too much into this.

Jeez, fine i apologize for even talking about yoruba's.

Ifygurl:

Jeez, fine i apologize for even talking about yoruba's.

F***K For what

Usman, be quiet and open my gate

Ify you can now resume your sermons of "unity"