Alleged Carjacker Chris Ngwu
By Folake Sokoya
The area E police commander in Lagos, ACP Halilu Muawiya has been accused of stalling a car theft case at the Festac area of the state.
A ash colour Toyota Corrola with registration number JJJ88DC was stolen from one Nwobodo ifeanyichukwu Peter , an online cab driver
According to the driver who reported the case at Festac Police division, the carjacker identified as Chris Ngwu had boarded his car to Lekki area of Lagos before he was hypnotized with a chemical substance that made him slept off.
The driver, who was also detained by the Police operatives at the division over the issue, explained that he woke up in Brigham suites hotel located at 6th avenue, Festac to realize that his car and other belongings like phone, ATM cards have been carted away by the carjacker.
The carjacker also used his phone to fraudulently collect money from the driver’s family while claiming the driver was arrested by NDLEA officials.
Meanwhile, the hotel staffs who were suspected to have facilitated the theft with the robbery suspect were later detained by the DPO of the division.
But the matter turned the other way round when the Officer in Charge of area E command, ACP Muawiya allegedly ordered the release of the suspect.
Speaking on the matter, a relative of the car driver, who didn’t want his name mentioned said “the Area commander choose to release the arrested suspects to track the carjacker after he was called by the hotel owner.
“I am aware the hotel owner is his friend, and so, he has to release the hotel attendants who gave room to the carjacker and also served him food without collecting his name, details, even money before he left.
“You can see the game that is being played here. The police shouldn’t have released the hotel staffs without adequate investigation so as to provide the carjacker. He even accused my brother of being a gay”.
The area commander while speaking with our correspondent debunked perverting justice despite the release of the hotel attendants.
According to him, investigation was ongoing over the matter despite the release of the hotel staffs that were detained by the DPO.
“The fact that the suspect was released didn’t mean investigation will not go on. We are on the matter and investigation is going on. Releasing someone didn’t mean we are not on the matter.”Muawiya said.
Meanwhile, the car driver, Nwobodo ifeanyichukwu peter, while sharing his side of the incident narrated his ordeal in the hand of the car thief.
“I am an online cab driver. On the 8th of July which was on Wednesday. I came to Festac to drop a lady, After dropping her, on leaving Festac a fair young man with a full beared stopped me with a bike then he pleaded with me that he needs to go to Shevron after Lekki area.
Then we started heading towards second rainbow, on getting to second rainbow he said he needs to call his girlfriend to make the transfer into my account that’s of the agreed amount N20,000 and I said okay no problem. Then I got an alert of N20, 000 on my phone. On getting to Mega chicken at second Rainbow, he said ordered me to stop that he needs to get something to eat then I stopped at Mega chicken. Then he came out and said he forgot something in his hotel room at Festac that I should please take him back to pick it up.
He entered the car then we drove, when we got to four hundred road (400) at Festac, he asked me to stop that he needs to pick something from someone so I stopped again and he dropped then he entered into a compound close to FCMB bank. Then I decided to withdraw some cash from the money transferred to me only to realize the N20, 000 was not in my account.
Few minutes that I entered my car, the guy came back and I told him I didn’t see the money he sent to me, then he tapped me on my shoulder and said don’t worry you go see it soon. That was the last thing I could remember. Only for me to wake up in the morning in an hotel room. I was still in shock like how come, was this really happening, as I was trying to get myself to remember everything that happened, the hotel receptionist knocked the room door requesting for bill of food, drink, room and others.
“The receptionist told me that the guy that brought me had left the same night. He told me he tried paying for the hotel room, the food and drink with my ATM card that I gave him my pin but it showed insufficient fund and the guy said he wants to go and use the ATM to collect cash.
When I realized what happened to me, I borrowed a phone to call my sister and I told my sister everything. My sister now said that since last night somebody has been using my phone to chat with them that NDLEA saw drugs in my car and I have been arrested that they should send money to my account so he can withdraw and beg those people to leave me that he was chatting with everybody in my contact to the extent he even chatted with my boss the person that gave me this car, with my uncle abroad to send money to my account if not those NDLEA people will kill me. So out of panic , my sister sent money.
“My sister now asked me where I was , I asked the receptionist that please where is this place that was when the receptionist told me that we are at Brigham suits hotel, 6th Avenue. When she arrived, we decided to go to a police station to make a report. On getting to the police station I wrote a statement and I explained everything that happened. They said I am a suspect as well because the car is not mine then after a very long time, I didn’t really know what they were doing they delayed us for hours.
The hotel receptionist also came and so the DPO asked them to detain the two of us and we were detained overnight at the police station there and the following morning I don’t really know what happened because I was inside the cell it was my sister that was running around with the police. I didn’t know what happened and the next thing is that they brought us out and they took us to the Area command for us to go and meet the area commander. The man blamed me for everything that happened. He started accusing me despite my explanation that I was gay and that is why I went with the car thief to the hotel room and that was his he released the hotel staff and when the DPO saw what he did,he released myself and a guy that the car thief stopped to greet when I picked him.
“I am begging ans also plaeding to Inspector general of police and other relevant bodies to please investigate this matter as I am innocent and I am sure the hoteliers know this guy because why would you give him room,food and clothes without paying if he has not been lodging there?” Peter lamented
