A middle-aged man identified as Odogwu Chibuzor was shot while attempting, along with other fleeing suspects, to siphon diesel from heavy-duty trucks at the Dangote Cement plant in the Ibese area of Ogun State.
Our correspondent learnt on Thursday that three other members of the armed gang fled the scene when security guards swooped in but Chibuzor was apprehended.
PUNCH Metro learnt from a police source in the area who craved anonymity for lack of authorisation to speak to the media that the head of the security unit at the Dangote Cement in Ibese, Egbunu Usman, reported the incident to the Dangote Police Post after one of the suspects, who had sustained a gunshot wound, was apprehended.
According to the source, Usman reported that at around 11:00 pm on Wednesday, four gang members, armed with a Dane gun and other dangerous weapons, stormed the 3 & 4 Section of the plant to carry out the crime.
The suspects, our correspondent learnt, each carrying at least one empty 25-litre jerrycan, had filled three before the security team swooped in on them.
As the suspects tried to flee, PUNCH Metro gathered that the security personnel at the plant opened fire, injuring one while the others managed to escape.
Additionally, a short video recording obtained by our correspondent on Thursday revealed that the suspect confessed to the crime during an interrogation by someone believed to be a member of the plant’s security team.
“My name is Odogwu Chibuzor. I’m from Enugu State, but I live in the Balogun community. Our group has more than 20 members, but only five of us were involved in this. We brought just five jerrycans. One of my friends mentioned that someone in our group had a gun, but I wasn’t aware he was carrying it.
“This was my first time with the group; I had never participated. We were filling the third jerrycan when we spotted the security guards. I was told they usually bribed some truck drivers,” Chibuzor confessed.
When contacted for a comment on the incident on Thursday, the Dangote Group spokesperson Mr Tony Chiejina, asked our correspondent to send a text message.
In response to our correspondent’s text message, Chiejina said he would find out about the incident and get back to PUNCH Metro.
“I will check and revert,” he simply texted.
As of the time this report was filed, Chiejina had not yet responded to the text message sent by our correspondent to his mobile phone as he promised.
But confirming the incident to our correspondent, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, stated that the suspect was promptly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment before being placed in custody.
She said, “The suspect was taken to the Ilaro General Hospital for medical treatment after sustaining a bullet wound in his back. A brief video of his confession was recorded.
“The lone Dane gun used in the robbery has been recovered, along with the five jerrycans they brought to siphon diesel from the trucks. We are collaborating with other local security agencies to apprehend the remaining fleeing suspects.”
PUNCH Metro reported a similar failed robbery attempt in 2017, during which at least two suspected members of a robbery gang were shot and killed by police operatives.
The gang, consisting of about seven members armed with guns and other dangerous weapons, invaded the company, proceeded to the materials section, and attempted to steal armoured cables before being shot dead by the security operatives.
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