A tanker driver has narrated his experience in hoodlums of how he was stripped naked and dumped in the bush.
Our tanker loaded with petrol developed a mechanical fault along Oyo-Ogbomoso road in the South West part of Nigeria on our way to Kano, so I called a mechanic to effect the repair. As we were washing our hands after the repair, about 10 hoodlums, armed with guns, cutlasses and knives suddenly emerged and attacked us.
“They tied my assistant and the mechanic together, while I was stripped naked and dumped somewhere in the bush. They went away with the tanker. Time was 8p.m. on Saturday, December 28, 2013.”
This was the narration of Jubril Mohammed, a 30-year-old driver working with NNPC Mega Station in Kano, Kano State, after the Ogbomoso zonal command of Operation Burst, a security outfit put in place by Oyo State government, arrested two men in connection with the hijack of a petrol tanker in the early hours of Sunday, December 29, 2013. The tanker was said to have loaded from Ejigbo, Lagos State on its way to Kano.
The Zonal Commander of the outfit, Captain Sakatare Dalhatu, had told Crime Reports while parading the suspects same day in Ogbomoso, that he received a call about the hijack at about 10p.m. on Saturday, December 28.
According to him, “one Alhaji Garba from Ogbomoso called me that a tanker with registration number XE 351 GWL (Kano) carrying 40,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, belonging to NNPC Mega Station, Kano, was snatched along Oyo-Ogbomoso road at gunpoint. Immediately, I rushed to the place with my men. Before reaching Odo-Oba, I saw the tanker and the hijackers were trying to make a u-turn towards Ibadan.
“When they sighted us, they abandoned the articulated vehicle and ran away. I told my men to lay ambush to see whether they would come back for the tanker or try to siphon the fuel. My men were there throughout the night. At about 5a.m., we saw a car with registration number AE 40 WWD (Osun). The car stopped by the tanker and the driver opened its boot. We approached him, seeking to know what he was doing there.
“He said he wanted to go and fetch water for his cassava plants but we don’t understand how one waters cassava plants when they are not vegetables. When we searched the car, we saw six kegs smelling of petrol. Later, he said he was going to his site, so he had no specific statement. Based on that, we had to arrest him.
“As we were about doing that, another man passed by and the suspect called him. It is our belief that they are into the business together but investigation will reveal otherwise.”
The zonal commander said hijacking was a frequent occurrence. “There was a report that they used to snatch tankers along Oyo-Ogbomoso road. Even two were snatched same Saturday before this one.
“Since two weeks ago when I took over, we have waged war against vandals and armed robbers in cooperation with other security agencies,” he stated. He warned criminals that the operatives were ready to confront them and prevent any onslaught from their side. “We will not rest until we ensure that crime rate drops at Ogbomoso zone,”he said.
The two suspects however claimed innocence and gave reasons why they were found within the vicinity of the abandoned hijacked truck. One of them, Muyideen Wahab (30), who lives at Owode village and is married to two wives with four children, narrated thus: “I was coming in the early hours of today (Sunday) when I was stopped by Operation Burst at Elete Isale area in Ogbomoso. They asked me what I was doing with the six kegs in my car and I told them I wanted to use them to fetch water to sprinkle on my cassava plants.
“I was asked to open the boot. They sniffed the kegs and said they could perceive the smell of petrol. I replied that I also used them to buy petrol into my car. I had no intention of stealing fuel, I was just a victim of circumstance. I am a driver but I was a vulcaniser.”
The other suspect, Mr Biodun Alabi, (50), also said “I am from Ago Are in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State but I live at Kembe village. I left Zubr prayer this morning (on Sunday) and wanted to go and buy egusi around 6a.m. On the way, I saw the tanker, Operation Burst operatives and the suspect. I knew Muyideen because my son is an apprentice under his elder brother who is a vulcaniser.
“As I passed by, he called me. The Operation Burst operatives stopped me but I did not answer them. That was my mistake. I wanted to buy egusi which my farm hands would use to prepare soup. I don’t know about Muyideen’s activities because I had not witnessed any or heard of any before his arrest. I knew him as a vulcaniser before he bought a vehicle he was using.”
The commander promised to transfer the suspects and the case to the appropriate authorities after preliminary investigations.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/55837.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/55837.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/55837.html
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