Robbers who attacked Vanguard publisher say his security men gave them the job

Some armed robbery suspects who robbed a veteran journalist in Lagos said his security men gave them the job.

Few weeks after the Publisher of Vanguard Newspaper, Sam Amuka-Pemu, was robbed and dispossessed of his belongings including phones and money in various denominations,  at about 1am on Sunday, June 5, 2016, the gang members have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command.

Also Read: "Enemy Within: Security guard connives with robbers to attack employer"

Vanguard reports that the three suspects confessed that they got inside information from one of their victim's security guards on how to gain easy access to the house of the veteran journalist.

The deadly robbers who all indigenes of the Republic of Chad, Umar Hussein, 46, Atim Abukakar, 31 and Abdulrazak Hassan, who is 35-year-old, were arrested by the State Police Command after an intensive investigations.

The police say it got its breakthrough after two of the 81-year-old veteran journalist's security guards, identified as Jude and Francis, were arrested and through their confessions, members of the robbery gang were apprehended.

While they were being paraded at the State Command headquarters in Ikeja, Hussein, said to be the leader of the gang, said a security guard at Amuka's house opened the gate for them.

“There were two security men at the house; one was Igbo and the other Hausa. One of the guards called Gambo, our informant, to tell him about the operation. Gambo, who lived in the FESTAC Town area, informed Muhammed.

We were four that went to the house and Muhammed invited us. The guard opened the gate through which we all entered. We saw N200,000 in the man’s wardrobe and took it.

I am from Chad, but I have been staying in Lagos State since 2001. I live in the Satellite Town area, where I work in a private school as a gardener. After leaving the man’s house, we went to a nearby hotel, where we shared the money inside our car.”

Abubakar, said that he packed some pound notes from the publisher’s wardrobe and N100,000 cash.

“I stay in Sango Ota, Ogun State. I was called by Muhammed that there was a job he would want me to participate in. I was asked to go to the Anthony Village area. When I got there, a car was waiting and we drove into the close where the man lives; we met him sleeping."

"When I opened his wardrobe, I found newspapers and some pound notes. I quickly packed the pounds. I searched again and found N100,000 and took it. That was all I made from the robbery."