N1.5m Bride Price Drove Me Into Armed Robbery – Suspect

A robbery suspect, Mr Godwin Olukporibe, has
confessed that he was forced to form a robbery gang
when his father-in-law asked him to pay N1.5 million
bride price before he could marry his pregnant
girlfriend.
The suspect was arrested by the Special Anti-
Robbery Squad, SARS, of the Lagos State Police
Command, following a tip-off that he was in a hotel
with his girlfriend in Ibadan, Oyo State, western
Nigeria.
Olukporibe allegedly claimed his father-in-law
initially refused to give his daughter's hand in
marriage despite the fact that he had impregnated
her and wanted to marry her.
The suspect said that it was after a lot of persuasion
that he allow them marry but with the condition that
he must give him N1.5 million as bride price.
The suspect said he could not afford the money but
because he loved his wife and she was expecting his
baby, he was forced to form an armed robbery gang
to raise the money.
Olukporibe said he initially went into robbery just to
raise the money, but he was encouraged to continue
when he made N3 million in his first attempt.
He said he quickly paid the bride price and married
his wife without his father- in-law knowing his source
of money.
Olukporibe said because of the success of the first
robbery operation, he decided to go into full time
robbery and later graduated into kidnapping.
The suspect, who hails from Etsako Local
Government in Edo State, said he was not really
doing any work before he formed the gang and
became their leader.
He said the gang used his father's car to rob people
on the highway before they bought the cars they
used for their other operations.
Oluporibe confessed that he was involved in several
robbery operations on Benin-Lagos, Ibadan-Lagos
expressways and Kwara State among others.
On how they operate, Olukporibe said some of the
members of the gang usually board buses as
passengers and would be communicating with others
through phone calls to keep them informed about
their progress on the journey.
He said when the targeted bus approaches the
destination they have planned to operate, they will
block the road and force the driver of the bus to stop.
"If the driver tries to resist, those inside the bus will
force him to comply. We will rob the passengers of
the bus and carry their belongings to our waiting cars
and drive off," he said.
Olukporibe said he had been a political thug for so
many years and went into armed robbery and
kidnapping five years ago before he was arrested by
the police.
He confessed that he was a political thug for
prominent politicians who armed him with weapons
such as AK47 rifles to attack their opponents.
He said most times before the operation, the
politicians will give him some money and promise to
buy good things for him but after the operation, they
will distance themselves from him.
Oluporibe said he did not return most of the
weapons, which the gang later used for their robbery
and kidnapping operations.
He said he regretted to be an armed robber and if
given a chance, he would turn a new leaf. He is still in
the custody of SARS where he is undergoing
interrogation.
Olukporibe has been detained by SARS and would be
charged to court soon.
PM NEWS