The brothers, Ikenna and Chinedu Onukwo, who are 28 and 23 years old respectively, claimed to be students of the North American University in Benin Republic.
According to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, the siblings operated their robbery operations like a family business.He said during the parade of the suspects that their modus operandi sets them apart from regular robbers because they dressed up like corporate office workers.
The vehicle, in which the brothers alleged operated, a Lexus 300, belongs to their mother.
“They would both dress up corporately in suits as if they were just closing from an office. They drove around Victoria Island and Ikoyi and offered to give female office workers who were just closing from work a ride. We believe that their mother was also involved. Like I said, this is a family business,” Owoseni said.
Saturday Punch learnt that when the suspects allegedly gave unsuspecting ladies closing from work a ride, the elder brother would drive while the brother would sit in the passenger seat.
Owoseni told journalists that the suspects would later tell their victims that they had boarded the wrong car and dispossessed them of their valuables.
It was alleged the siblings would sometimes take their victims to an ATM and force them to withdraw money.
The police boss said some victims got raped in the process while the brothers brutally beat victims who dared to give the wrong ATM PIN.
According to the police commissioner, even though many victims never reported the attack, the latest victim summoned the courage to report to the police more than 48 hours after the incident.
Saturday Punch learnt that the victim fortunately memorised the registration number of the vehicle and through the collaboration of the Federal Road Safety Corps, the police traced an address attached to the number plate to a house at Surulere, where the suspects were nabbed.
During investigation, the police said it tracked down about five previous victims, who all identified the suspects.
An investigating police officer said the suspects were picked out of an identity parade by all the victims.
When our correspondent spoke with the brothers, they knowing denied that they knew anything about what they had been accused of.
Ikenna said, “All these are wrong allegations. We don’t rob anyone. We are just students from the North American University, it is a wrong allegation. We don’t know anything they are talking about.
“At first, they arrested my brother and said he was responsible along with some other guys. Now they say I am involved, I don’t know anything.
“I don’t know the victims, and I have never seen them before. I cannot explain how they were all able to identify us.”
Chinedu, who also denied the allegation, said when the police arrested him, they only told him they were looking for his elder brother.
He explained that he voluntarily followed them to the police station only for the victims to identify him as one of the suspects who robbed them
Chinedu, who claimed to be a 300 level Computer Science student of the North American University, said, “I asked how it all happened since I knew nothing and asked if they recognised me and they pointed at me.
“I don’t rob people, even the vehicle they are talking about belongs to my mother. I don’t drive it around. When my brother came over, the same people also identified him.
“They said the person who was driving the vehicle when they were robbed had beards. Look at my brother; does he have beards like the victims claimed? It is a false allegation.
“I can’t explain how they identified our number plate. My brother usually drives the vehicle. The only time I ever drove my mother’s car was this last Friday.”
Owoseni said the suspects would be charged to court soon.
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