He knelt on the ground;
both knees on the hard heartless earth; both hands clasped together like a
faithful servant of the Lord and he begged. Yes! He begged and this was all he
asked:
“...I will assist the
police in catching armed robbers that have made the lives of my brothers and
sisters out there miserable. They do not deserve to be alive. They have hurt
too many and i know i have what it takes to get them arrested and put them
behind bars for a very long time.”
He knew that armed
robbers were not that easy to catch and for those who might be too strong or
stubborn to resist arrest, Samuel
Okon had this to ask:
“For those who resist
arrest, i will do everything within my physical and intellectual capability to
reunite them with their maker. Yes! They deserve to die. It is their albatross
and i crave nothing more than to put them in whichever kind of coffin they
desire.”
Yes! I know a lot of
readers are now wondering why a young man would be this bitter about armed
robbers. Perhaps, he had just been a victim of their monstrosity or worse
still, he harbours an overwhelming hatred for the soldiers of the night – the
hooded brothers as some call them.
There was one in
particular that Okon knew about and he knew him so well – In fact, this was one
armed robber whose cup of sin had long over-spilled.
Still kneeling on the
floor, Okon delved into what he had in mind
Okon knew for a fact
that before becoming an armed robber, this particular robbery kingpin had been
a commercial motorcycle operator; before he formed the gang.
“He’s a Kingpin and i
know him so well and believe me, i know how to catch him...”
He also knew that
members of this gang were known for two things; their intelligence and the fact
that they usually robbed without carrying guns. Yes! He knew they were that
good.
In place of guns,
they used two weapons that not only gave them a signature reputation but always
sent a note of fear and tremendous trepidation into the hearts of all who had
been unfortunate to encounter them; they used only these weapons and nothing
more - hammers and knives. Yes! Those were their principal trademark tools of
occupation.
Similarly, they
didn’t just steal random objects. They were specialists in this dark trade and
they had over the years perfected the art of stealing just two things; money
and mobile telephones.
“Nobody does it
better than this armed robber and his gang. They have never stolen anything
else and that is why they have recorded so much success. It is what they were
born to steal...”
Most of us already
know that most successful robberies are not carried out by a single man – a
formidable armed robber needs a gang of brilliantly sinister minds to succeed
over and over again and your guess is as good as mine – this robber had a gang
and he sure knew how to recruit his dark soldiers.
“You might not
believe this but commercial motorcyclists are the easiest people to recruit
into the business of armed robbery. You know they suffer a lot. Nobody joins
the job because he/she likes it. It is the least job and the last hope of a
common man. Our politicians steal without carrying hammers and knives yet you
crucify these common men who go around trying to stay alive. They rob targeted
victims and nothing more. How about men who rob an entire nation? Aren’t they
the ones who should be tied to a stake and shot to death or better still, given
to the mob to be battered, lynched and burnt alive?”
Okon knew he was
allowing himself get overwhelmed by the horrors of his country Nigeria where
leaders and politicians might as well wear masks and carry guns because indeed,
they had robbed the nation blind. He knew he had to calm down to enable him
continue with his plan to catch this notorious armed robber and he did.
He went on about this
armed robber whom he was more than eager to bring to an end.
“Commercial
motorcycle riders receive loads of insults and they see a lot of things. Most
‘Okada (commercial motorcycle)’ riders cannot resist a way out of their
occupational misfortune. That is why they are easy to recruit,” Okon enthused.
Okon had very
powerful sources and he was equally smart so he had a whole lot of facts about
this particular armed robber. He knew for a fact that the man was good at
telling commercial motorcyclists stories that they always found impossible to
resist.
“If this man wants to
recruit 60 armed robbers today, he goes after commercial motorcyclists and he
has recorded flawless success.”
Okon was naturally
driven to end this evil reign and he had recently learnt everything he had to
know about this man’s operational tactics.
“I know how he
strikes and when you know how man strikes, then indeed, his end must be near. I
figured it was imperative for us to know his Modus Operandi. That would guide
us against groping for a viper in the dark.”
Okon carefully laid
down all he knew – The kingpin and his gang always positioned themselves at
points on the road where there were always potholes. This always ensured that
the unsuspecting victim drove at snail speed across such points of the road.
“They also strike in
traffic jams. They look out for women in particular and whenever they corner a
victim, that’s the point when the hammers and knives come out. Most victims
cooperate but the stubborn ones have their windscreens smashed and still end up
with their purses, hand bags and mobile phones stolen. The knives are mostly
used to scare those who might have ideas of playing hero or trying to catch
them.”
Well, now that all
the kingpin’s secrets and tactics had been laid on table, all that was left was
how to draw out a realistic strategy towards catching this daredevil armed
robber and that shouldn’t be a problem – As we all know, the bullet of nemesis
never misses.
However, there was a
little problem with catching this notorious armed robber. The problem was that
the armed robber in question was none other than Okon himself and it was after
he was arrested on June 30, 2006 that he begged the police to allow him help
them catch his hooded brothers.
This was his full prayer as reported by SUN newspapers in 1996:
“If you spare my life, i will assist you to arrest armed robbers
because i know them especially in the Liverpool area of Lagos. I know them - I
swear. I will not deceive you. I know the ones that use guns and the ones that
use only knives and hammers. I also know the ground enforcers. I am an armed
robber. I don’t deny it. I formed the gang with Segun... I am begging you to
spare my life so that i can get other members especially Segun. He must
never escape...”
If you were the
police, would you grant Okon his request?
By Samod Biobaku
Note that this story
is a real life incident with real names and places.
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