‘How Prison Turned Me Into Hardened Criminal’

A 38-year old suspected armed robber paraded recently by the police in Lagos State, western Nigeria,  has confessed that he got his major training and contacts as a hardened criminal  in prison custody when he was serving a jail term for a criminal offence.

He also confessed that his prison training toughened and helped him to reduce the mistakes that previously landed him in trouble and prison.

The suspect, Joel Eghon, was paraded alongside six other members of his gang, including their leader, Chief Jude Dike, by the Police.

Other members of the gang include, Ifeanyi Onwuegbuchi, 34, Solomon Igwe,32, Emmanuel Ifeanyi, 34, Ejike Emegwo, 31 and Leonard Afoaku, who buys the stolen items from them.

On what landed him in prison, the Edo State-born Eghon said he was arrested and charged to court where he was convicted and sent to prison for a criminal offence.

He said he spent some years in prison custody and while he was there, he met some hardened criminals who trained him on strategies in robbery operation and gave him the contacts he needed to succeed as a robber after he was released.

Eghon said when he was released  from custody, those hardened criminals linked him to their leader, Chief Dike, who immediately absorbed him into his gang and equipped him with arms.

He said his gang mainly specialised in snatching vehicles and diverting goods and through Dike, they got an agent, Afoaku, who sells the stolen goods.

He said he does not have good friends around him when he was growing up. He added that his friends  were mainly criminals.

Eghon said he now realised that he made a mistake in by joining the criminal world and said if he is released, he would not go back to robbery.

One of the suspects, Afoaku who sells the stolen goods confessed that he knew the items he was asked to sell were stolen.

He said, initially, when Dike contacted him to sell those goods, he did not suspect anything but that with time, he discovered they were robbers and decided to stay put because he made a huge profit from the business.

He also said he regretted his involvement and that he would never touch such business if he comes out alive.

The leader of the gang, 55-year old Dike who resides in Ajegunle area of Lagos, confessed that he  gives arms and ammunition to robbers for their operation and thereafter contacts his agent to buy the stolen goods.

He also confessed that he joined the business by accident and because it is lucrative, he stayed put until he was arrested.

During the parade, the State Commissioner of Police, Cornelius Aderanti, said on 20 September information got to him that some armed robbers who had earlier snatched a Toyota Hiace bus around Ebute Metta were planning another operation.

On his instruction, SARS led a decoy team to the area which led to the arrest of the suspects and recovery of the Toyota containing engines, female bags, shoes and motor gear.

Also, a Barretta pistol with serial number P17531 and ammunition were recovered from the suspects. After the alleged goods receiver, Leonard Afoaku, a businessman, was arrested, some goods were recovered from him.

The police said they will be charged to court after investigation.