Pat Stephen/
A gang targeting Taxify drivers in Lagos have been smashed by the police.
Four suspected members of the gang who allegedly killed one Uber driver and were about to kill another were paraded by the police today.
According to the Lagos State commissioner of police, Mr Imohimi Edgal, who paraded the suspects at the police headquarters in Lagos, the gang was smashed by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
Edgal said that the suspects were on the verge of killing another Uber driver when they were nabbed on March 14, at about 1:30am.
He said, “The RRS patrol posted to the Lekki-Epe Expressway while on a stop and search duty intercepted a Toyota Camry Saloon car with registration number APP 145 EE driven by an Uber service operator with two passengers. When a search was conducted in the car, two knives and a pack of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp hidden under the carpet of the car was recovered from one Simon Tyozemda, 27 years, and one Lucky, 25 years.
“Investigations into the case revealed that the suspects’ intentions were to divert the Uber driver to a comely place and snatch his car from him. They were on the way to execute their plan when luck ran out on them. Further investigations revealed that early this year, in the same manner, the suspects snatched a Toyota Corolla Saloon car with registration number FST – 663- EZ belonging to another Uber driver along Obadore Road, Ajah, at about 2:00hours. They killed the driver and took his car away. The corpse of the driver is still in the mortuary.”
According to Edgal, the police have recovered the late Uber driver’s Toyota Corolla car while the alleged criminal receivers of the stolen car identified as Mohammed Usman, 41, and John Thankgod 25, are in their net. They allegedly bought the car from the suspects at N100, 000.
Narrating how they killed the Uber driver, Tyozemda said, “I am from Katsina Ala local government area of Benue State. I am a hair stylist. I ordered a taxify ride and when he was driving me and Lucky my friend, I brought out a knife and stabbed him in the stomach and pushed him out of the car. I thought he would not die. I took his car and with the help of Lucky we sold it. We were about to snatch another car but police arrested us.”
0