By Francesca Hangeior

The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended 36-year-old robbery suspect, Amos Daniel, who stole his employer’s vehicle on the same day he was hired as a driver.

Daniel confessed to having taken the car to his church to give testimony of God’s miraculous provision.

In a related case, two dismissed soldiers, Akeem Suleiman and Abdulau Mohammed, along with two civilian accomplices, were paraded among other suspects for their involvement in a robbery gang.

The gang allegedly carried out operations wearing military headgear.

The police recovered military headgear, uniforms, and identity cards from the dismissed soldiers.

The police also paraded a 25-year-old suspect, Thankgod Kesh-David, who posed as a roadside mechanic to repair broken-down vehicles, only to disappear with them.

Briefing journalists at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja on Tuesday, the command spokesman, SP Benjamin Hudenyin, said, “We have successfully arrested a robbery gang through our tactical team based in Surulere. The four-man gang specialized in snatching vehicles at gunpoint from motorists in Lagos.

“They have been operating for quite a long time. Two of them are dismissed soldiers, one was dismissed in 2014 and the other in 2017. They carried out their crime wearing full military gear.

“We also have somebody who was employed as a driver. Unfortunately, the employer did not do due diligence. The same day he resumed as a driver, he ran away with the car and could not be traced.

“Interestingly, he dedicated the car in church the following Sunday, testifying of what God had done to him.

Speaking with journalists, the arrested driver, Daniel, said, “I stole my madam’s Lexus car and took it to the church to testify that God has blessed me. I intended to use it for Uber and use the proceeds to pay my debt. I stole the car on June 23, 2024, the very first day I was employed, and I took it to church on June 30, 2024.”

One of the dismissed soldiers, Akeem Suleiman, who claimed he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army in 2017 for desertion, told journalists “I started robbery in April 2024. Anytime we steal a car, I drive it to the receiver’s place. We steal cars randomly. If we see anyone parked and wound down, we drag them out and zoom off in the car. We operate in the Ajah area of Lagos, with a local gun. But we never killed our victims.”

The Command’s spokesman advised employers to exercise due diligence when hiring drivers or domestic staff and to conduct background checks at the Central Criminal Registry at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, and the forensic unit before employment.

He added that the suspects will be charged in court for their crimes.