By Desire Emmanuel
Two members of a one-chance robbery syndicate who were described as serial robbers using Micra taxi cab to rob commuters in Ibadan, Oyo State, have been apprehended by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The syndicate members were apprehended along the Eleyele-Ojoo corridor by the FRSC officials and handed over to the police.
According to the FRSC in a statement on Tuesday, June 16, they were intercepted in the early hours of Monday, June 15, by a team of officers who were on routine patrol along the Babalegba-Eleyele-Ojoo route.
The officers were said to have seen a motorcycle rider pursuing the Micra after a female passenger inside the car raised an alarm that her mobile phone had been stolen while inside the vehicle.
Acting swiftly, the patrol team stopped the vehicle and commenced preliminary interrogation. During the process, the driver, identified as Idowu Mukaila, claimed he could facilitate recovery of the phone.
Shortly thereafter, another individual arrived and produced the stolen device, raising further suspicion of an organised criminal operation.
The development made the officers to take the men away to the office of the Park Management System (PMS), Eleyele unit, for further investigation.
Officials of the PMS, the body in charge of the activities of commercial vehicle drivers in the state, told the FRSC officials that both the vehicle and the men had been under surveillance following several complaints linking them to phone theft and one chance robbery activities within the metropolis.
After this, the arrested persons were handed over to the police officers from Eleyele Division for comprehensive investigation and possible prosecution.
“FRSC therefore urges members of the public to remain alert, report suspicious activities promptly and continue partnering with the corps to make Nigerian roads safer and more secure for all,” the corps admonished in the statement.
