A swift response by vigilant community members at Artillery Junction in Port Harcourt led to the arrest of a minibus driver, Kelechi accused of collaborating with armed robbers to rob passengers.
One chance drivers’ is a popular Nigerian slang commonly used for commercial vehicle robbers who usually disguise as commercial drivers
The incident unfolded late Sunday night when two women raised an alarm, claiming they had been attacked by a group of robbers working in conjunction with the driver.
The women, who had fled the scene of the robbery, spotted the driver at a nearby fuel station and alerted bystanders.
Kelvin Nwachukwu, a local resident and one of the individuals who assisted in apprehending the driver, recounted how the community came together.
“I was at Artillery junction, some girls were complaining that they were robbed by a ‘one chance’ driver. Unfortunately for the driver, as he was turning at Artillery to go and buy fuel at the filling station, the girls quickly identified the driver, so I mobilized the people around to apprehend the driver,” Nwachukwu explained.
He explained further, “We went to the filling station, the girls identified him, we saw some of the girls property inside the bus. We carried the driver with the girls to Mini-Okoro Police station.”
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“His minibus is there. His name is Kelechi, He is from Anambra State. We made an entry at Mini-Okoro Police station. For now he is still at Mini-Okoro Police station.”
According to the victims, Gloria Ephraim and her friend, the ordeal began when they boarded the minibus at Obigbo Express, intending to head to Market Junction.
After agreeing to a fare of N500, the driver diverted to an isolated location near Oil Mill Flyover under the pretense of refueling in an undisclosed filling station. There, they were attacked by four men armed with knives.
“First of all, when we were sitting because me and my girlfriend sat at the back side with one guy, so the guy was sitting close to the window, so when those four guys attacked us and asked for our phones, the guy sitting at the window side jumped out, run and crossed to another lane of the road. They did not succeed in robbing him,” Ephraim narrated.
Gloria recounted how the robbers forcefully took their phones and assaulted her friend, who suffered injuries during the attack. She also alleged that the driver was complicit, claiming to have overheard him communicating with the robbers and instructing them to share the stolen items.
Following their escape, the women sought help from a motorcyclist who brought them to Artillery Junction, where they later identified the driver.
With the driver in custody, the community escorted him and the victims to the Mini-Okoro Police Station, where the minibus and some stolen items were reportedly recovered.
Although as of the time of writing this report, the Rivers State Police Command has yet to issue a formal statement.
