Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of Lagos State Police Command, at the weekend, foiled an attempt to hijack an Uber taxi by three robbers at Oshodi, Lagos.
One of the suspects, Emmanuel Ugbomah, 37, from Ndokwa, Delta State, was arrested at about 12:30a.m., while trying to escape after failing to snatch the Uber taxi, a black Toyota Corolla, 2009 model, belonging to one Adebisi at Oshodi-Oke.
Commander of RRS, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Tunji Disu, said the suspect, in company of two other accomplices, had boarded Adebisi’s taxi in Lekki.
They reportedly told the victim they were going to Oshodi and he charged them N4,000.
However, 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 the victim, Adebisi, “two of them came down from the vehicle and, some minutes later, came back saying the female friend was not going to join them and that I should keep driving to Oshodi.
“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 asking me to get in the back seat.
“Immediately I unbuckled the seat belt and opened the door, I saw some RRS operatives. I shouted ‘Robbers! Robbers! and ran towards them.
“They immediately swung into action after I explained to them what happened and that my car was about to be stolen. They ran towards the direction of my car and apprehended one. The other two escaped.”
Adebisi later claimed that his Tecno C8 phone and N80,000 were missing.
The suspect claimed that he was an automobile mechanic and was on his way to Oshodi from Lekki after he had gone to fix a customer’s vehicle, when he was apprehended by the police at about midnight.
Items recovered at the point of arrest were charms, a master key and a pistol shaped device.
However, Police preliminary investigations revealed that Ugbomah was not at his workshop at Marwa in Lekki as he claimed in police statement.
The suspect has been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, for further investigation.
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