A 20-year-old robbery suspect, Lanre
Makinde, who was arrested by the
police in Lagos, said he became a robber
to raise money for his graduation.
Voice learnt that Makinde and
three other accomplices ─ Sodiq Hassan,
Sunday Oyeniran and Ahmed Kazeem ─
were arrested by operatives of the
Rapid Response Squad on Saturday while
they were allegedly dispossessing their
victims of mobile phones and wallets
during gridlock.
Our correspondent gathered that the
suspects and other fleeing gang
members stole two mobile phones and
two wallets from their victims before
they were apprehended by the police.
In his statement to the police, Makinde
said he was on drugs when the incident
happened. He added that he needed
money to pay for his graduation in an
undisclosed institution, and to make
ends meet.
He said, “I was not conscious of what I
was doing. I knew the gang leaders as
friends in the area, and agreed to go out
with them. I was drunk on that evening.
I actually needed money to pay for my
graduation and to make ends meet.”
Makinde added that he was involved in
“only one operation” with the gang.
Also, Oyeniran said his role was only to
keep the items stolen during the
operation. He said he recently left the
prison on November 14, 2015.
He said, “I am an ex-convict. I was not
the leader of the gang. Since I was
released from the prison on November
14, I ensured that I severed my
relationship with the gang. The gang
leaders are Eegun and Yoppy. I know
them as traffic robbers in Oshodi. I was
only seen with the mobile phones
stolen by the gang. I did not go to rob
with them.”
Another suspect, Hassan, who claimed
to be a school dropout, said he was
working as a bus conductor before
joining the gang.
He said, “I learnt generator repairing in
Ibadan, Oyo State, and I travelled to
Lagos to raise some money to set up my
workshop. I was sleeping under the
Oshodi Bridge. I was with the gang
when they stole the phones. It was
stolen by one man, Awuwa. He is one of
those who fled from the police.”
One of the people dispossessed by the
gang, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said he was descending the
pedestrian bridge when one of the
robbers snatched his mobile phone.
The victim, a software analyst in the
Ikeja area, added that the police had
returned the recovered phone to him.
Another victim, identified only as
Rasheedat, said she had alighted from
her husband’s car to open the back door
for a passenger, when the suspects took
the phones and ipads placed on the
front seat.
A police source added that the suspects
would be charged to court on Monday
(today).
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP
Joe Offor, could not be reached for
comment, as his line indicated that it
was switched off as of press time.
