Photo: Police recover, return ₦15m to Sokoto robbery victim

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The Sokoto state Police command has recovered and returned N15million which was stolen from an unidentified man by a 5-man armed robbery gang at the Ilela border market in Ilela LGA of Sokoto state onJune 1st.

Parading the suspects with the money recovered at the Sokoto state Police command headquaters,  DCP Douglas Agbonleni who spoke on behalf of the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, Gambo Lawal, gave an insight on how the robbers were able to dislodge their victim of the money and how they were subsequently caught.
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"The robbery operation was successful as they were able to dispossess their target of over N15 million cash at the Ilela border market, after firing into the air to scare people. We received the information at about 6pm on June 1 and instantly went on stop-and-search operation and our men at Rabbah local government found a black colour Volkswagen Golf car with registration number Jigawa AG 569 HJA along the forest route and apprehended three of the criminals while the other two escaped" he said.

 The three robbers arrested were identified as Joseph Ohakin, ThankGod Sunday, Emmanuel Ugo (aka Ifeanyi). Apart from the money, other items recovered from them were weapons including locally made and foreign assorted rifles neatly concealed in the seats of the vehicle.

The Police said after they arrested the armed robbers in the bush, the robbers offered to give them the stolen N15million on the condition that they let them go, but the police men declined the offer. The police then launched a search for the remaining two robbers who escaped. A mobile phone which they used in communicating was used to track down the other two criminals. 

"When the first three were arrested, we searched the vehicle and recovered the money, we discovered a GSM telephone and upon diligent investigation, we traced that phone to Kano and our detectives proceeded to Kano where we were able to trace the owner of that phone who was a member of the robbery gang and had escaped from Illela. We discovered that the telephone belongs to one Habibu Abdullahi (Alias 02). He is popularly called 02 in Kano. We picked him up and we knew that they were about five members in that gang. So after arresting and interrogating Habibu Abdullahi, the fifth member of the gang, Garba Ismail was traced to a suburb of Kano and picked up also. So all the five members of the gang that came here to rob at the Illela town have been picked up,” he said.

The owner of the N15m stolen who was present at the press briefing confirmed he had received his money.