Cold Murder - Lebanese Murders Bureau De Change Operator over $50,000

35-year-old Ali Sani, a bureau de change operator was brutally murdered by Lebanese Kingpin, Bilal in an hotel room during their business transactions of $50,000. 

As gathered, 25-year-old, Bilal invited Ali to the hotel. Immediately he stepped inside the hotel room, the Lebanese allegedly requested for the dollars which the deceased  gave to him. But instead of giving the bureau de change operator  the naira equivalent,  four men were said to have emerged from  the toilet. Before he  could fathom what was wrong, one of the men  landed a stick on  his head, causing him to fall.

In that state, the kingpin, Bilal, reportedly brought out a knife from his pocket and stabbed Ali in the neck, head, eyes and shoulder. Apprehension set in after Bilal rushed out of the hotel room with blood stained shirt, attempting  to leave the hotel. But he was prevented by security  guards. A mild drama unfolded as the Lebanese reportedly brought out a knife threatening to stab whoever tried to block his way.

But for  the timely arrival of policemen from Apapa Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Mr  Mohammed Mu’azu, the Lebanese would have made good his threat or escaped. He was arrested alongside two Nigerians  simply identified as  Segun  and Benjamin.

During investigation, Bilal told policemen that his other  two partners in crime had escaped. It was discovered that the fleeing suspects, both Lebanese , are father and son. A friend to the deceased bureau de change operator, one  Muhammed Lawal, revealed that he disecretly followed Ali to  the hotel that fateful day.

He narrated,  “ When the  Lebanese informed  him  that he would send his  driver  to come and pick him to the hotel where he lodged,  he told me to follow  him secretly  behind. They drove in a  Toyota Camry car.   When they arrived the hotel, I hid outside.

“I waited  for my friend to come outside  but he did not and that made me suspicious. I  dialed his number  but there was no response. Not   long thereafter, I saw one white man with blood stain all over his body.  He  wanted to escape but the security guards started  shouting for help. The shouts  alerted other people in the hotel. And that was what made me call our chairman and my  other colleagues that they should help call the police.

“Then, I approached the hotel gate and started hauling stones at the white man and shouting at the same time. In the process, I managed to grab him. When we followed him to the room he lodged in,  I saw my friend in a  pool of  his own  blood . And when the policemen conducted a search  of  the hotel room, they found  two other persons.”

The chairman of  the  bureau-de-change operators association, Mallam Garba Kano, revealed that Ali was rushed to three hospitals where he was rejected. According to him, “ when I got wind of the report, I  alerted the DPO Apapa who immediately rushed there with his men.  But for him, the suspects would have escaped. We first rushed Ali to  an  hospital where he was rejected.

“We later took him to Apapa health centre where again he was rejected. We took him to one other hospital where  the same thing happened. By then Ali was no longer  talking. He was in coma. We then rushed him to Lagoon  Hospital  where he was accepted and we were asked to pay N2.5 million as deposit. But we were able to deposit  N750,000 before treatment commenced. Unfortunately he died hours later.”

It was not as if Ali  went to meet the Lebanese just like that. His telephone number was given to the Lebanese by someone  the deceased bureau de change  knew very well at a supermarket. Garba  lamented that members of his association had been under  incessant attacks  from criminals who hide under different guise.

In the past, he said gun wielding men would storm the area, shooting  his  members  and making away with their monies in naira and foreign currencies. Sometimes, according to him, robbers would pose as bank customers, asking his members to meet them  at the bank. But on reaching the bank, the operator would be attacked and dispossessed of  his money. Some of  his members,  he said, ended up losing their lives . So far, he said four of his members had lost their lives.

Where is the money?
There  is, however, a twist in the whole matter as the fifty thousand dollars Ali reportedly took to the hotel was, at press time,  yet to be recovered. Out of the amount, only ten thousand dollars was recovered.

It was gathered that when the prime suspect was arrested, a briefcase in which the hard currency was recovered  was taken from him and handed over to a police man. It could, however, not be ascertained if the briefcase contained the whole amount. But when asked, Bilal allegedly claimed he kept the money inside the briefcase.  This development  led to the arrest of the policeman.

Ali’s widow and three children left for Kano, on Wednesday,with the police still investigating the matter with a view to arresting  fleeing suspects.

Culled from Vanguard