Making N1b will make this my last robbery

The life and times of TK, the militant, pipeline vandal and robbery kingpin felled by police bullets in what turned out to be his last robbery.

Toweki Joseph, a.k.a. TK, a 32-year-old native of Arogbo in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, until last Thursday, was the leader of one of the most notorious and dreaded criminal gangs terrorizing states within the South-West and South-South regions of the country. Members of his gang who are mainly Ijaw natives and based in the creeks of Ishawo in Ikorodu and Ijegemo areas of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, were said to be responsible for most of the bank robberies that took place in Ondo and Lagos states in 2015, that saw several residents including security personnel lose their lives during the operations. They were also linked to the abduction and killing of several security operatives in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

Crime Guard gathered that 48 hours before the operation, the SIRT operatives, while acting on its intelligence, arrested a driver to a popular bottling company in Lagos, who was contracted as a member of the gang to help them ferry rifles, ammunition and explosives for the operation. The driver who was identified as Jonson Chukwuma, was picked up at the premises of his company at Ijora area of Lagos and when he was interrogated, told the police that he was contacted by one Ozoremena Obi, a.k.a. OZ, who he said resides in Seme to carry the arms, ammunition and explosives to the border so as to beat police check points. He told the operatives that OZ promised to reward him handsomely if the job was successful but he declined, thinking it was risky and it could get him into trouble. Chukwuma then took the SIRT operatives to Seme where they caught OZ in a hemp joint where he was smoking. The hemp dealer at the joint was also arrested by SIRT operatives. During interrogations, OZ confessed and told the SIRT operatives that he and one of his friends identified as Ifeanyi were the informants to TK and gave the idea of the job to TK. He explained that after conducting his surveillance around the banks and bureaux de change at the shops, he was confident that they would make as much as one billion naira if the job was successful. He added that to convince TK about the job, he told TK not to give him his own share of the loot if the money was not up to N1 billion. He added that TK told him that it would then be his last robbery if they succeeded. 

OZ also explained that TK wanted to come by road and escape through the waters and he wanted a truck to bring to Seme the arms, ammunition and explosives that would be used and he told him that it would   be too risky, but TK insisted. He said he contacted Chukwuma to do the job for him, but later he brought in Ifeanyi to explain to TK that coming by road could be too risky due to heavy presence of security operatives on the road and he urged TK to come through the waters. He said TK accepted and promised to call him when he left his camp for Seme. 

Crime Guard gathered that Seven hours before TK met his Waterloo, he called OZ while he (OZ) was in police custody, and said he heard he was arrested and OZ was asked to tell him that he was picked up by policemen from Area K Command who raided the joint where he was smoking hemp and he was detained for a night and he paid N1000 as bail.  TK then told him not to worry, that he was on his way and after the operation, he would be well rewarded. Five hours later, OZ got another call from TK asking him to join them by the waterside in Seme with a motorbike, so that he would lead them to the banks as they were not familiar with the areas, but the SIRT operatives asked him to tell TK to come to land and TK refused. But while he was thinking of what do, TK was said to have moved closer into Seme and birthed close to Custom Barracks. Unknown to him, he was moving into an  ambush. The custom officials on guard at the barracks on sighting TK and his men on the water, opened fire on them and they went into different directions. 13 of them, including TK, who were on three speed boats ran into Poturume, a village between Nigeria and Benin Republic, and they had a clash with policemen from the border patrol unit, backed by the Intelligence Team B of the Anti-Pipeline Vandals. Crime Guard gathered that 11 of the suspects including TK sustained fatal bullet wounds before they were handed over to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja.