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The Recovered truck.

THE combined efforts of both the Lagos State Police Command and the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Adeniji Adele road, Lagos, frustrated the attempted diversion of a truck loaded with 40 feet container, containing three tractors, valued at several millions of naira belonging to the Borno State government by a syndicate.

The syndicate led by one Garba Musa, now at large, in conjunction with two other suspects, Mohammed and Bello Yisa, was said to have perpetrated the act on July 12, 2010, between Apapa Wharf and Marine beach in Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos State. Two of the suspected criminals were nabbed by a team of police detectives following a tip-off.

Crime and Security gathered that the fleeing leader of the gang allegedly specialised in diversion of containers from Apapa Wharf both at the Tin can Island, and Roro Ports at Apapa business community of Lagos State. He was said to have approached one Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, a staff of Mowan Maritime Services Limited with the intention of transporting the container from Apapa Wharf, Lagos to Maiduguri, Borno State.

It was, however, learnt that after the deal had been struck on the cost of transportation of the container between Alhaji Mohammed and Musa, the latter was said to have engaged the sevrices of Mohammed Abass, a truck driver at Apapa Wharf to use his truck to transport the container out of the Wharf under the guise that he was to deliver the container in Maiduguri before it was later discovered that it was missing.

An insider police source at the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos, informed Crime and Security that after a manhunt for both Musa and the truck driver, Abass, it was allegedly discovered that the truck did not travel anywhere as agreed by the two parties.

The source, who craved anonymity, disclosed that it later dawned on the agent of the clearing and forwarding firm, Alhaji Mohammed, that Musa had an ulterior motive and that the suspect had diverted the truck and the container belonging to the Borno State government to an unknown destination in conjunction with Abass.

“In fact, that was why the representatives of the owners of the missing container reported the case to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad for investigation,” the source said.

And no sooner the case was reported than the police swung into action and effected the arrests of both Abass and Yisa, who were said to have concluded arrangement to divert the goods in connivance with the fleeing suspect.

Meanwhile, the truck driver, Abass who cliamed to be an indigene of Nasarawa State and a resident at 2, Odofin Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, denied the allegation that he was working in concert with the fleeing suspect, to divert the container.

The suspect who claimed to have spent two weeks in the police cell at Apapa Police Station, Area B, Lagos State after which he was transferred to the Federal SARS stated in an encounter with Crime and Security last week in Lagos that:

“The 1x40 feet container contained three tractors and up till now, I do not know the actual value of the tractors in naira and kobo and I have since pleaded with the police to understand my innocence, just as I begged them to release me on bail,”the suspect said.

The suspect has, however, promised the police to assist them in their quest to locate and arrest fleeing Garba Musa, provided he was granted bail, adding that he had put about seven years into transportation business and that he had never experienced such in his several dealings with his numerous customers.

Also, in a chat with Crime and Security, Yisa said he did not know anything about the diversion of the truck. The suspect who claimed to be a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers at the Marine Beach Branch, Apapa, said his duty at the park was to collect union dues of N500 on each truck that entered the park, irrespective of being loaded or not.

“I was on duty when a man came to meet me and said that the truck was loaded with his container and he gave me N200 as gift. He said that I should assist him in looking after the truck,” he said.

He also identified Musa as the man who gave him money and instruction to look after the truck, adding that the fleeing suspect also instructed him to call him anytime the truck was about to leave the park.

He added that his trouble with the police began when he saw a team of policemen that came to arrest the driver and he attempted to call the man ( Musa) on phone to tell him about the development.

“Musa asked that I should give the phone to one of the policemen, with view of speaking with him. And I did as I was instructed and I was later informed by the police that the man had during their conversation promised to come and see them, but that he has not showed up till now, hence the decision of the police to arrest me as an accomplice in the crime.”

Meanwhile, confirming the incident was the Commissioner for Police in charge of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Mr. Jubril Adeniji, who said that the suspects would soon be arraigned and charged with conspiracy and theft in a court as soon as the investigation into the case was concluded by the police.