- I Became A Robber Just To Secure My Siblings’ Future – Arrested Man Confesses

The police in Lagos have arrested a
“one-chance robber”, Ajibola Alao,
for allegedly dispossessing some
residents of the state of valuables
during robbery attacks.

The suspect,
however, explained that he became a robber to secure his siblings future,
stressing that he didn’t want them to end up as robbers like him. Alao was arrested last Thursday by
operatives of the Rapid Response
Squad after dispossessing a resident,
Asotie Benedict, of his phones and
money in the Oshodi area of the state.
An RSS official said the suspect and his gang had pushed the victim out of a
bus while in motion.
He said, “The suspect, in company
with the driver and conductor of their
operational bus, a Volkswagen bus
with number plate, picked up the victim at Ladipo. He was to alight at
Oshodi under bridge.
“However, when they sighted
officials of the Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority at that bus
Stop, they pretended they were ascending the bridge towards Oshodi
Oke. It was at that point that they
dispossessed him of his two mobile
phones and a wallet containing
N60,000. They then threw him out
while the vehicle was in motion.” The victim, in his statement to the
police, said they gave him N100 as
transport fare back home after
throwing him out. He stated that he, however,
chased the vehicle till he was able
spot a patrol van of the RRS and
raised the alarm. “They chased the vehicle to a halt and
arrested Alao, who took all I had on
me. But the driver and the conductor
abandoned the vehicle and escaped. “All they took from me were found in
his possession and some additional
phones, which he said they took from
previous victims,” he added.
Alao, in his statement, allegedly
admitted to being member of a three man one-chance gang that operated in the Oshodi area, saying he had once
been arrested by the police.
He said, “I have been in the business
of one chance since 2015. I was once a
pickpocket, joining buses to Sango, Agege, Oshodi, Apapa, and
disembarking after stealing from
commuters.
“At a time, I was arrested by the
Mushin Olosa Police station. My mum,
who was ill and on admission in a hospital at that time, was brought to
see me. She pleaded with the officers
and secured my bail.
“She insisted that I should stop
stealing from people. She added that
the consequences would be too severe for me if I went back to crime. A few
weeks after the incidence, she died.”
He said he went back to crime to raise
funds for his siblings so they would not
feel the absence of their mother and
also to secure their future. “I went back to crime to raise funds
for my siblings so that they won’t
follow the same path. I am the first
child and the breadwinner of the
family. Since the death of my mother, I
have been taking care of my brothers.”
Lagos Police PRO, SP Dolapo Badmos,
said the suspect had been transferred
to the State Criminal Investigation and
Intelligence Department, Yaba, for
further investigation.