BY MIKE OSAROGIAGBON
A 48-year-old man has said that he connived with two others to rob a petrol station and not kill its supervisor because he was unfairly treated by the owner of the business in Benin City.
It was learnt that the robbers had sneaked into the filling station located along Benin-Agbor road in Benin City, killed the supervisor, one Eze Emmanuel, and carted away N6.8million about 12: 43a.m on September 11, 2023.
He said they waited for BEDC to off electricity supply to the area before they struck as he knew that the supervisor would come out of the cash room to turn on the generator to supply power to the station.
The suspect, Isaac Ishioma Ordu, from Oshimili North local government area of Delta State also stated that the killing of the supervisor whom he had earlier worked with, was never part of his plan.
He admitted receiving over N4million out of the N6.8million but denied active participation in the deadly robbery.
The suspect said he thereafter went to Lagos where he was arrested and a yet-to-be registered Tokunbor Toyota Sienna he bought with proceeds from the crime, recovered from him.
He stated that he organized the crime after his director suspended him indefinitely without paying his N80,000.00 monthly salary, he worked for.
It was further scooped that the director declined payment of his one-month salary following allegations of his criminal dealings in the station that trailed his suspension.
Isaac Ishioma Ordu narrated his criminal exploits to our correspondent at the homicide section of the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, police headquarters in Benin City at the weekend.
“I have been working in the petrol filling station for about three years. Towards the end of last July, I beat up a girl who is a petrol attendant in the station. My director suspended me. Since he did not pay me that month salary. Even when I sent text messages to beg him he didn’t respond. The next thing I heard was that he had travelled abroad. That is what gave me that mind to do that act.
“I sent some people to go and rob the station. I told them not to kill anybody but unfortunately they killed my co-supervisor in the process.
“I told them when NEPA off light the supervisor will come out to on the generator, I said they should track him and collect the money immediately. I told them not to go beyond the generator house because armed policemen guiding the station are there.
“I stayed across the road watching, I know NEPA must off the light, at least for three hours. We shared the money that night inside undeveloped land near the petrol station”, the suspect stated.
Our correspondent’s visit to the filling station along Benin-Agbor road on Saturday revealed full economic activities.
A source believed that the suspect was among the attackers as the evidence left behind by the robbers were that of an insider.
“They came with padlocks, locked the policemen inside their base. They tied up the supervisor, cut him twice on his head, locked him inside the generator house and abandoned him to bleed to his death.
“The policemen did not even know that armed robbers operated and locked them inside until the following morning when we discovered the cash office was opened and we started looking for the supervisor who was found dead inside the generator house”, the source hinted.
The Public Relations Officer for Edo State police Command SP Chidi Nwabuzor said investigators had launched a manhunt for two other suspects involved in the attack.
He stated that the suspect would be charged accordingly.
