Police Arrests Driver, Robbery And Rape Suspect In Luxury Bus Attack

The Ogun State Police Command, yesterday, said it had arrested four suspected members of the robbery gang that attacked Ekene Dili Chukwu luxury bus which was conveying 42 female secondary school students to Lagos, last Saturday, at the Oke-Odo end of Sagamu-Benin Expressway in Ijebu-East Local Government Area of the state.

The arrest was made just as indication emerged yesterday, that the attack and reported rape on the teenage students could have been averted had the driver of the bus listened to warnings by motorists that robbers were operating ahead. Consequently, the 52-year-old luxury bus driver, (names withheld) has been arrested and detained by
operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Elewe-Eran, Abeokuta.

Sources at the state CID told Vanguard that the driver would remain with them until he cleared the air on the matter. Driver ignored warning It was gathered that the gunmen barricaded the highway last Saturday night where they attacked motorists who slowed down on reaching the spot. Some motorists reportedly suspected danger when they saw a road block ahead and stopped before the barricaded spot as they wondered why there was a road block in spite of its ban. Most of them reportedly remained on the spot, watching the turn out of event when it was apparent that robbers were operating ahead.


Motorists flagged the driver down, informing him of an impending danger ahead. But the driver reportedly ignored them. Police sources said: "The driver is not new to robbers' modus operandi and should have stopped to find out what the problem was."

Suspects nabbed Confirming the arrest, spokesman for the Ogun State Police Command, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said: "The Ogun State Police Command has arrested the driver of the luxury bus that conveyed the Enugu students who were attacked by some hoodlums at Ogbere along the ever busy Ijebu/Benin expressway at 11. 40p.m. on Saturday, 31/3/2012 and four others who have been suspected to have carried out the operation.

"The other suspects arrested are Oni Olopari, Innocent Omule, Gbenga Adebayo and Samuel Luca. Driver of the bus has identified Samuel