Olugbenga Samson, a suspect who had been on the wanted list of Oyo State Police for many years did not just choose his appellation ‘Marshal’. He had a deep thought and thoroughly answered the name throughout his foray in the crime world.
The fact that the police in Oyo State were after him did not deter him from what he allegedly knew best: Getting armed robbers to get snatched cars for him at all cost.
Until the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) in Oyo State Police Command, led by Superintendent of Police Olusola Aremu, halted his slip-in-slip-out pranks when he was arrested on December 8, 2017 at Ogbomoso town in the state, almost seven years after he had been evading arrest.
But Marshal, after his arrest and during an interview with Saturday Tribune, denied joining armed robbers during their operations, but admitted getting snatched vehicles from them, with the full knowledge that they were snatched from owners at gun point.
Parading the suspect recently, the Commissioner of police in Oyo State, Abiodun Odude described Marshal as a criminal receiver.
“The suspect was nabbed in his criminal hideout in Ogboso on December 8 after he had received several snatched vehicles from robbery gangs, one of which was smashed recently by SARS operatives,” Odude said.
He gave the particulars of the latest car snatched at gun point and found with Marshal as a Mercedes Benz with registration number LND 724 EY. The police commissioner said that he would be charged to court after the completion of investigations.
Saturday Tribune held an interview session with Marshal. Below are his confessions:
Background
I am from Oro, Kwara State. I used to import used tyres from Cotonou, Benin Republic. I was also into smuggling and from there, I began travelling to Europe to import used trucks. I had an auto shop at Iwo Road. Then, I was not selling robbed cars. I was only selling imported trucks.
Why I left Ibadan
I left Ibadan in 2011. I had bought a CRV vehicle from a gang that had snatched it from its owner in Lagos. In fact, the person who brought it to Ibadan for me, Sam, was arrested, and he confessed that a dealer asked him to bring the vehicle to Ibadan.
The police went to the Motor Dealers Association, and they brought out the list of their members and their photographs. That was how I was picked out. The police then went to my car stand and confiscated all the trucks there.
I heard about it, and went to settle the case. The trucks were returned to me, and that was how I left Ibadan.
On two vehicles snatched in Ilorin in October 2011
I didn’t follow the boys to rob. I was not part of the gang members that went to Ilorin to rob. They, however, brought two Toyota Camry cars (Pencil and Big Daddy) to me in Ibadan. When they came, they said they wanted to sell, and I bought the Big Daddy. It is not that I was the one who sent them to rob.
I can sell when they bring it to me, but I don’t follow them to rob. In fact, it was while they were going to Ijebu-Ode with the other car that they were arrested. However, I got the information that after he was arrested, he said he had gone on the operation with me, and that the other car was with me.
The case was transferred to Ilorin and I went to visit him, and it was him who told me that when he mentioned Marshal, the police first went to arrest two other people also bearing Marshal.
The police now said there was another Marshal who was involved in a CRV vehicle that was snatched, and they said it would be me; and they came to my house. When they got to my house, they found the vehicle there.
On recruiting tracking technicians to remove trackers from vehicles
I don’t know about that.
On the snatched Honda Baby Boy he hid at Erunmu via Ibadan in 2012
I didn’t go for the operation. It was Timothy Adeleke who snatched the vehicle. I was at a party that day, and they called me that as they were on their way, fuel got finished in the vehicle.
They had earlier called me in the afternoon that there was a Camry, but I didn’t know how they came about the Honda Accord. It was Timothy who called me. At that time, I was coming from a party, so I went to where he was at Erunmu.
I was with Kazeem Ajagbe at the party, so he followed me there. On getting there, we were bargaining on how much I would buy it when the police got there.
We were four who were there that day, but I escaped, while the other three were arrested. Ajagbe, Timothy and the third person, Rafiu, were arrested.
How I was arrested in Lagos State and Abuja
I could only run but not hide. I was arrested by SARS in Lagos when it led by Abba Kyari. I went to prison, I was bailed from prison. I was at Ikoyi prison. My family got a lawyer, and I was bailed. My charge was receiving stolen property.
I was arrested in 2012, and got out in 2013. I was arrested again in 2014 over the same issue.
When I returned from prison, I met a friend who later set me up. He informed the police that he had sold three cars to me, and as I was getting out of court, I was arrested again, and that was how I went back to prison in 2014 and got out in 2015.
Why I continued in crime after my sojourn in prison
When I returned from prison, there was nothing left for me to fall back on, and that was why I continued in crime.
I went to Kuje prison in Abuja in May 2016, and I got out in March 2017. I was arrested by the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) Response Team (IRT).
My relationships
The woman I am married to in Nigeria is different from the one I married in London.
The woman I married in Nigeria, after I was arrested on three separate occasions, she said she was tired of the relationship, and that was how we went our separate ways. We had no child between us.
The one abroad had never been to Nigeria, but she is a Nigerian. She gave birth to a child for me. I saw her last in 2015. I met her in London when I was still travelling to the United Kingdom to buy trucks. I met her in a church there. She is also complaining that she is not seeing me. She does not know about my cases with the police.
On the latest snatched Mercedes Benz
There was a man I know, and he told me that there was a Mercedes Benz to be auctioned, and I told him I was interested. I didn’t ask him who was doing the auctioning.
By that time, I had been dating a lady in Abuja, and I told her that some people wanted to auction a car, and that I needed money to buy it. She gave me the N4 million.
The woman is a businesswoman; she is into cement business and she is a divorcee.
So I sent the money to the person in charge of the vehicle, and after I had taken possession, I decided I would sell it.
The case involving a snatched Toyota Sienna was still on my neck, so I was planning to stop buying snatched vehicles. I realised I was not living a good life. I was not stable; I was just moving up and down trying to evade arrest.
I also didn’t have any property, so I thought: ‘what is the essence of all I had been doing?’ My plan was to start going to Cotonou to be buying legitimate vehicles.
It was during this time that I met the businesswoman. She was also ready to assist me financially, and we had started living together in her house in Abuja before the latest problem.
I was yet to sell the Mercedes Benz because the lady said I shouldn’t sell it yet.
I started crime in 2011, but till date, I can’t point to anything I have gained. In fact, this was what caused the separation between me and my wife.
Whenever I got N500,000, I would lose over N2million because of the mess I found myself in.
I am yet to construct my building; I once bought a landed property, but I sold it.
I was never a member of a cult group, but I used to do charms.
I no longer have parents, but I have siblings abroad, and they had warned me not to get involved in crime any longer.
In fact, there is one of my brothers who is in the United States who had told me to relocate to America. He was he was not satisfied with the life I was living, but anytime he was planning to get me the necessary documents to travel, problems would arise.
He even came to Nigeria recently and warned me not to involve myself in crime again. He said he would start preparing for me to relocate to the US when he got back there. It was this we were planning before I was arrested again. I am the third born; I have two elder siblings and three younger ones.
How I was arrested
I was arrested in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. My lover and I were returning to Abuja, but somehow, the police got information that I was around, and they started tracking me.
When I saw the police, I wanted to escape; I was driving a Toyota Venza belonging to the woman, and I almost killed an Okada rider in a bid to escape police chase. In fact, I crushed his motorcycle.
I knew the police were after me; I didn’t have rest of mind. I was always moving with caution.
However, when I met the woman, I made up my mind to stop involving myself in crime. In fact, within the little time I met her, she had loaned me N4 million. She is 42 years.
I know she is done with me already following the experience she had when I was arrested. We were arrested together. She didn’t know I was into crime.
It wasn’t that I wanted to use and dump her; I wanted who I will have rest of mind with.
She was even ready to assist me, because she was always asking me what business I could do that would be bring me money so I wouldn’t be relying on her every time.
-Tribune
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