Suspected taxi robbers arrested in Jos

The robbers tried to snatch a bag from a lady.

By Daksun Habila and Masara Kim

Luck ran out on some taxi robbery suspects popularly known as “one chance” as the police caught up with them while trying to rob a woman who had just withdrawn N600, 000 from the bank.

The incident, which took place along Bank Road in Jos, caused confusion as police fired shots into the air to forestall any break down of law and order by on-lookers, some of whom were already pushing for jungle-justice on the culprits.

It was learnt that the robbery suspects, who were camouflaging as taxi drivers, riding on a Bauchi registered Nissan car with the registration number, XA764-TFB, picked the victim from the CBN bus-stop and immediately started dragging her bag, containing the money, from her.

The woman had already begun to lose hope as three men overpowered her in the struggle.

But the mobile police stationed at the Jos Central got wind of the situation and came to the lady’s rescue.

A bag containing pieces of papers, neatly cut and arranged in bundles like naira notes was recovered from the vehicle used by the suspects.

While one of the suspects escaped after pretending to be pursuing the “thief” before crossing over to the Jos Museum premises where he disappeared into the bushes, another was instantly arrested in the car.

The other culprit who had also ran towards the Beach road also pretending to be pursuing a “thief” was nipped by the mobile policemen who had to run after him using a civilian vehicle.

Three has been a spate of roadside robbery around the CBN-Beach Road axis. A man was recently dispossessed of about N600, 000 in the area.

The state government had placed a ban on commercial motorcycle operations within the Jos and Bukuru metropolis owing to the growing cases of crime.