I disguise as scavenger to rob ─ Suspect

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a suspect, Abdullahi Umar, who says he usually disguised as a scavenger to rob residents in the Ojota area of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that 24-year-old Umar, who hailed from the Kawo Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was nabbed by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad on a patrol in the Ojota area.

According to the police, the suspect belonged to a gang , which usually disguised as scavengers and hid arms in their trucks. The police added that the gang used the weapons to rob people of valuables.

Umar, in his statement to the police, said he had a trader in the Mile 2 area who usually received the stolen property from him.

He said, “I usually disguised as a scavenger to rob people in the area. I work with other gang members such as Papa, John, Muscle and Akeem. We are a group and we normally attack people during the night.

“I have a trader who owns a shop at Mile 2 in Lagos. I sell whatever I took from my victims to him like phones wristwatches and jewellery. I am ready to cooperate with the police to arrest other members of the gang.”

One of the victims reportedly robbed by the suspect, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the money stolen from him had yet to be found.

He said, “I was coming from Ketu, along the road leading to the Chinese Town, to board a bus to my office. The hoodlum suddenly jumped out from a bush and attacked me with a cutlass. He collected my phone and purse containing N1,700, my Identity card and a bank teller. The items were recovered by the police, but the money inside the purse had vanished.”

A police source said Umar was hiding among the flowers when the police picked him up.

The RRS Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, said efforts were on to get other members of the gang.

He said, “The police, while on a patrol duty, saw two people crying for assistance after they had been robbed by the suspect. Both victims were on the way to their different places of work.

“Immediately, the policemen combed the area, and the suspect was arrested. The police would go after the fleeing members of the robbery syndicate, and we will charge the suspect to court when investigations are concluded.”

Source:Punch