Police in Edo State have arrested four suspected members of a ‘one-chance’ robbery syndicate after a woman was allegedly pushed out of a moving vehicle during a robbery along the Benin-Agbor Expressway.

The suspects were arrested on Monday following a distress call reporting that the victim, Joy Osaghae, from Agbor, Delta State, had been thrown out of a moving vehicle at about 8 a.m.

The Edo State Police Command disclosed the arrests in a statement published on its Facebook page on Tuesday, saying operatives pursued the suspects from the scene to Igbanke, where they allegedly abandoned their vehicle and fled into a nearby forest.

All four suspects were subsequently arrested by the police.

The suspects were identified as Joy Moses, 29, from Warri, Delta State; Kalu Iro, 32, from Rivers State; Friday Chinedu, 37, from Agbor, Delta State; and Chiemela John, 35, from Aba, Abia State.

According to the police, the victim identified the four men as those who allegedly robbed her.

Vehicle, phones and cash recovered

Items recovered during the operation included a Volkswagen Passat wagon with registration number RLG 19 KA, which the police said was used in the alleged robbery.

The operatives also recovered 11 mobile phones, a power bank, ₦125,550 in cash and several bags found in the vehicle’s boot.

Police said the bags had been arranged to make the vehicle appear to be a commercial taxi conveying passengers between Benin City and Agbor, a tactic allegedly used to deceive unsuspecting commuters.

‘One-chance’ robbery involves criminals posing as commercial transport operators or passengers to lure unsuspecting commuters into vehicles before dispossessing them of their belongings, often through threats or violence.

The crime has remained a security concern for road users, as perpetrators exploit the appearance of ordinary public transport to target passengers.

Police order further investigation

The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Patrick Daaor, has directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a thorough investigation.

Daaor commended the officers involved in the operation, as well as the collaboration between the Wabazigan Patrol Team, Abudu and Igbanke police teams, the Edo State Security Corps and other security personnel.

The police said the command remained committed to combating highway crime and protecting road users.

The arrests highlight ongoing concerns over ‘one-chance’ robberies, in which criminals allegedly pose as commercial transport operators to target unsuspecting commuters.

The police have not disclosed when the suspects will be arraigned in court.