How I Became A Criminal And Sponsored My Political Friends – Senator Nwobodo Confesses

A 55-year-old man, Princewill Eze, popularly known as Senator Nwobodo was a man who was enjoying the best things of life money can afford until he was arrested last month by officers of the Special Anti-robbery Squad in Lagos for allegedly running a gang that was defrauding bureau de change operators.

This is not the first time Eze will be running into trouble with the law as he was arrested for similar offence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and was later charged to court after the case was transferred to SARS in 2011. He however got out of prison after police prosecuting the case failed to turn up in court.

Speaking to newsmen, Eze said he was duped by a bureau de change operator which made him to embark on a revenge mission.

“I was into international transaction and I had a bureau de change called Paul Hanger. I spearheaded an international transaction where $1.4million was paid to the bureau de change but the operator said nothing was paid. I went through pains to get that money and I was cheated out of it. I was aggrieved over the incident and decided to take it out on other bureau de change operators.

“I got away with the first crime because the police prosecuting the case did not turn up in court on several occasions I was taken to court. My lawyer applied for my bail and it was granted and I was set free.

“I could have turned a new leaf but I have responsibilities. I felt that since I was not robbing people with gun then I am not an armed robber. If I was an armed robber, I would have been the king of armed robbers in Nigeria. I have people relying on me for money so I had to meet up. I was into politics in the past and my friends who are politicians got my support. Some of them were contesting the governorship position, others were vying for local government chairmanship and senatorial seats and I supported them financially. I am a responsible father and husband who did all to provide for his family. I had to fulfill all these obligations“.

Eze was not alone in his scheme to defraud bureau de change operators as he allegedly recruited six other persons, five men and a female into the gang, whose names the police gave as Daniel Okpara, 30; Paul Irior, 37; Bassey Williams Ekpenyong, 39; Royal Nwabuike, 32 and one Amira Abdullahi 34, a Lebanese nursing mother, who were arrested in Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja states.

Narrating how the gang operated, Eze said they walk around town and get the phone numbers of the bureau de change operators.

“One of us will call that we want them to bring dollars to us in a specified place. When the bureau de change operator arrives with the cash, our gang who had disguised as EFCC operatives will storm the meeting place in company of fake police ASPs and they will arrest the bureau de change operative and pretend as if they are taking him to EFCC office but along the way, the bureau de change operator would start begging and would forfeit the money so that he would not be taken to EFCC office. When the bureau de change operator has left, we will meet at our hideout and share the money. I have gone out on such assignment like ten times since 2014. We have made between $250-$700. I didn’t recruit anyone of them into the gang; they all joined the gang on their own freewill because they are all adults.

“I am married with five children. My wife is aware of what I do but after I was arrested the first time, she thought I had stopped; some of my daughters are in school abroad.”

Eze added that he regrets getting involved in criminal activities.

Speaking on the matter, the Lagos State commissioner of police,Mr. Kayode Aderanti said Eze and his gang are not only fraudsters but are also suspected armed robbers.

They recovered one Bryco59 pistol with serial no 930945 with six rounds of 5.56mm live ammunition, single barrel pistol cut to size with four live cartridges, a Toyota Highlander jeep ash colour with registration number, No LSR 110 DB, a Toyota Highlander jeep maroon colour with registration number No LSR 671 DK, a Toyota Sienna 2012 model, with registration number JJ424CQ, a Toyota Four runner with registration number KRD 449 DG, one Toyota Camry saloon car unregistered, four million naira cash and 13,000 US dollars cash.

The gang also had a complete set of communication system of the police inside a vehicle which allowed them to intercept police communications."