Jail breaker caught in fresh robbery

An armed robbery suspect who escaped from prison, Ibrahim Olasunkanmi, 49, also known as Jaga, has been arrested again for another robbery raid he organised with four others, Idowu Timothy aka Engr. Ropo, 46, Femi Jonah, 32, Babatunde Adedokun, 25, and Rashidi Aborisade, 22.

Olasunkanmi had earlier spent a combined 14 years in two different prisons before he escaped in 2014 while his second in command, Timothy, had spent five years before he also escaped.

The gang was busted by policemen from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Ogun State Police Command on March 11, 2015.

The police reports that the gang was intercepted while they were on a mission for another operation at about 11 pm.

During interrogation, Olasunkanmi told the police that lack of employment forved him into crime.

"I am from Abeokuta, Ogun State. I have NCE certificate from former Ogun State College of Education, Ijebu-Ode and also read Philosophy at former Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye.

I could not secure a job easily because I was over 30 years when I finished my education. I found myself joining a gang of armed robbers.

I had a robbery case in 1996 at Orita Challenge Division in Oyo State Command. I was transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, from where I was charged to court. I spent six years in Agodi Prisons but was eventually released when the complainant was no longer coming to court. I left prison in 2002.

I lay low for some time before I re-united with my former gang members. In 2005, we left Ibadan for Akure, Ondo State to rob a bank.

We tied the security men and cut the lock of the strong room of the bank. We got about N28 million out of which I was given N4.5 million.

I processed travelling out of Nigeria but two days before I travelled, I was arrested. It was Federal SARS, Alagbon, Lagos State, which did the case and we were charged to court at Akure and remanded in Akure prison. We were about 10.

Some of us were released along the line but I escaped from the prison on June 30, 2013 during a jailbreak.

I arrived Ibadan on the third day after the jailbreak after hiding in the bush for two days. I left Ibadan for Abeokuta a day after because some of the warders knew my mother’s house in Ibadan.

I started staying in my family house working at a sawmill owned by my father in Abeokuta till I returned to crime in Ibadan in December 2014.

I linked up with my old gang members like Dada, Olumide, Jimoh, Ibrahim and others. Some of them were arrested after they snatched a car and that made me relocate to Abeokuta.

When my friend, Timothy, whom I knew while in Akure prison, escaped from Ekiti jailbreak, he called me. I brought him to Abeokuta to live with me."