Police Rescue Truck Driver From Claws of Death, Arrest One, Recover 480 Bags of Hijacked Cocoa

From Felix Mordi 

A truck driver, who was seized at gun point and tied to the stake like a common armed robber waiting for final execution order, has been rescued unhurt by the police in Ogun State.

The driver was said to be in transit on Sagamu-Benin Expressway with a truck load of 480 bags of cocoa on Saturday, December 21, 2019, when he suddenly ran into an ambush laid by a six-member gang of notorious hijackers at a point between Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode.

He was forced out of the truck, marked Lagos KTU 286 SQ and, to avoid spoiling their deal, the hoodlums took their driver-victim into the bush, tied him up before thinking on how to divert the goods, unknown to them that divine providence was at work in the driver's case.

While the hijackers were busy perfecting their act, it was gathered that a patrol team attached to Obalende Police Divisional Headquarters in Ijebu Ode received an information on the incident and raced to the scene, forcing the hoodlums to scamper into the bush.

However, in a desperate move to arrest the hoodlums, which spurred the police operatives to chase them into the bush, during which one of them, identified as Michael Edeh, was apprehended, the detectives spotted the said driver where he was tied and untied him.

Confirming the development in a press release made available to Journalists, the Command's spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi said: "On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels and escaped through the bush. The bush was thoroughly combed, resulting to the arrest of Michael Edeh, who has been interrogated and confessed being a member of a robbery syndicate that specialised in hijacking of trucks on the Express Road at gun point.

"The suspect, who claimed to reside in the Isheri-Osun area of Lagos State further explained that the group usually converged at a point on the road to strategize", Oyeyemi said,adding that the hijacked truck had been recovered with the goods intact.

"The truck driver, who was tied both hands and legs in the bush, was also rescued", Oyeyemi stated.

Meanwhile, according to the police spokesman, the State Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS) for discreet investigation.