How we broke out of prison to form robbery gang – Suspects

A 30-year-old robbery suspect, Ejike Nkennachor shocked police detectives recently in Lagos when he boldly narrated how he masterminded a prison break at the Maximum Prisons, Shagamu, Ogun State, to form a notorious robbery gang that specializes in snatching exotic cars. The stocky-black suspect from Asaba, Delta state went further to state that he was frustrated with the slow nature of justice in the judiciary and that was why he encouraged other inmates to join him in breaking out of the prison.

Ejike, as he is popularly called, who spoke with Crime Alert after he was arrested with two others in Laqgos and Oyo states by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad,SARS, Ikeja, Lagos State, said they capitalized on the arrest of cult members in the area to plan the jail break.

The  State Commissioner of Police Umar Manko, while Parading the suspects before newsmen said, the officer in-charge of SARS, Abba Kyari arrested the suspects after he got information that the gang snatched a Toyota Camry saloon car from a woman in Ilorin, Kwara State and took it to Ibadan where they hope to sell the car to a ready buyer.

According to the Police boss, Kyari and his men proceeded to Ibadan and apprehended one of the suspects called Samuel in a popular hotel.  They then used him in apprehending the leader of the gang, Ejike and one other member called, Dada.

Cp Manko disclosed that two locally- made single barrel pistols, twenty live cartridges, an unregistered Toyota Camry Saloon Car, Toyota Carina with registration number, KWL 753 AJ and one Land Rover Free Lander Jeep with Reg No AGL 672 AP, were recovered from the suspects.

ARMS & AMMUNITION

The leader of the gang, Ejike Nkennachor told Crime Alert that he led his cell mates to breakout of the Maximum Prison due to the slow nature of Ogun State judiciary. The suspect explained that he had spent a long time at the prison and does not want to spend the whole of 2013 in the prison.

According to him; “When I was arrested in 2008 at the state Criminal Investigations Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos for car snatching, I was charged to court but members of my family paid money to a lawyer that secured my release. I spent only four months at the Ikoyi prison and my case was discharged for want of evidence.

After my release, I went back to car snatching because I know my family will always come for me. I did it for some time and I snatched several exotic cars including a Mercedes Benz car that was valued around N12 million but I sold it for N800,000 to my receiver at Asaba, Delta State.

Then, I avoided Lagos State and I and members of my gang, were operating in Ogun State.  Unfortunately for me, I was arrested by Ogun State special anti-robbery squad,SARS, after I stole a car. They caught me driving the stolen car at Shagamu and they intercepted it and later sent me to prison.

My stay at the prison was quite very long and the judiciary in the state did not help matters. Luckily, there was this fight between members of Black Axe confraternity and the Eye confraternity and a lot of them were arrested and remanded in the same cell with me at Shagamu Prison.

At that time, I was terribly frustrated.  The cult boys told me that they don’t want to spend the new year in the prison.  I told them not to worry that I had a plan. On the eve of the new year, members of my cell and those from another cell started a protest and we fought the warders on duty at the prison.

We dug a  big hole on the prison wall and we escaped from there. Some of us were killed while trying to escape but I succeeded and ran to Ikorodu.   I contacted my family members and informed them about my escape.  They begged me to come back to my home town at Asaba and I refused. I contacted Samuel and informed him that I was out of prison and he was very happy.

I then informed him that I will be relocating to kwara State where I will form a new gang, he accepted. I contacted Emmanuel Dada and one of our police friends and we robbed some cars. But the one that got me into real trouble was the one we robbed at Tanke-Ilorin, Kwara State.

We instructed Samuel to look for a buyer for us in Ibadan and we were called to come to Lagos to collect the money for the car. That was how we were arrested. I wish I had listened to my family not to return to this crime. I wish I will be given a second chance.” he pleaded.