Police Nab Suspected Uber Hijacker

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

The operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) posted to the Oshodi Oke area of Lagos at the weekend, foiled the hijack of an Uber taxi by three armed robbery suspects. 

Although two others fled, the police succeeded in arresting 37-year-old Emmanuel John Ugbomah, from  Ndokwa, Delta State.

Ugbomah was trying to escape after a botched attempt to hijack an Uber taxi, a black Toyota Corrolla, 2009 model belonging to one Adebisi at the Oshodi – Oke, Lagos. 

The suspect, in company of two other accomplices had boarded Adebisi’s uber taxi in Lekki and reportedly told the victim they were going to Oshodi, for which he charged them N4,000. 

On getting to Ikoyi, the trio told the driver to head to Dolphin where they said they were going to pick a lady friend.

According to Adebisi, “two of them came down from the vehicle and some minutes later they were back, saying that the female friend was not going to join them and that he should keep driving to Oshodi-Oke.

 

“When I was about to climb the Oshodi-Oke Bridge, one of them grabbed me from the back seat, another closed my mouth with his hand. 

“A gun-like object was pointed at my head and they were shouting that I should come down and go to the back seat. As I opened the door, I saw some RRS policemen and I called their attention. 

“They immediately swung to action after I explained to them that my car was about to be stolen. They ran towards the direction of my car. They apprehended one but two escaped.” 

The victim claimed his Tecno C8 phone and a sum N80,000 were missing by the time he was harassed.

The suspect claimed he was an automobile mechanics and was on his way from Lekki to Oshodi after he had gone to fix a broken down vehicle for a customer when he was apprehended by the police at some minutes past midnight.

Recovered from him at the point of arrest were charms, master key and a pistol shaped device.

 

Sources disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed that  Ugbomah was not at his workshop at Marwa in Lekki as he told police in his statement. 

The source added that further investigations indicated that he has not been to his workshop since mid – March, 2017.

The suspect has been transferred to Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja for further investigations.