No fewer than six “one chance” operators have been arrested by operatives from the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.
In Nigerian parlance, “one chance” is a form of robbery in which criminals disguised as commercial motorists dispossess people who board the vehicles of their belongings and push them out afterward.
According to a statement on Saturday by the FCT Command spokesperson, Josephine Adele, the suspects arrested were Abubakar Adams, Ismail Salisu, Yusuf Bello, Nasiru Saidi, Sani Usman, and Ibrahim Kasa.
The statement partly read, “The operatives of the police command attached to Utako divisional headquarters, on June 16, 2024, acting on credible intelligence, trailed and arrested six armed robbery suspects: Abubakar Adams, Ismail Salisu, Yusuf Bello, Nasiru Saidi, Sani Usman and Ibrahim Kasa.
“They specialise in attacking unsuspecting residents who board their vehicle or tricycle, robbing them of their valuables and pushing them off the moving vehicle or tricycle.”
Adeh added that their arrest was a result of complaints from victims, adding that cutlasses and knives, among others, were recovered from the suspects.
“The suspects were apprehended on the heels of complaints received from multiple victims of these atrocious acts, some of whom reported losing their mobile phones, money, gadgets, and other belongings to these criminal individuals who have since confessed to the crime.
“Light weapons such as cutlasses, knives, and a phone believed to have been stolen from a victim were recovered from them,” she added.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all and sundry.
“He also urged the populace to be vigilant and take advantage of the police emergency lines in reporting suspicious activities through,” the statement said.