The operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State
Police Command, have apprehended, one Hakeem Fatai, 24, for allegedly stealing
batteries from the premises of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority
(LASTMA) at Ojota area office of the state.
The Policemen who acted on a tip-off by the LASTMA's
management about the missing batteries from their premises, laid siege for the
suspect, and caught him while attempting to remove another battery from an
impounded bus. No fewer than Twenty (20)
batteries have been removed from the impounded vehicles which were parked
inside the premises within a fortnight.
On his arrival at the RRS’ Headquarters, the suspect owned
up that he operated with an accomplice he identified as Yahoo, now at large. According to him¸” Yes, I am responsible for the missing
batteries. But I didn’t work alone. We are a two-man syndicate who usually
steal batteries... Our targeted vehicle was Volkswagen bus because its
batteries can be removed easily without much stress. We don't usually go for trailer for its battery is protected
with burglary...
The suspect, who was picked-up at about 2:00 a.m. over the
weekend, by the operatives, said that he always scale through the agency’s
fence to access the compound and remove the batteries while his accomplice
stayed outside to watch the surroundings for him.
“We have devised our operation to the extent that no one
could suspect us while committing the crime inside the premises... We know the exact time to scale through the fence because
their security guards are too fond of sleeping. We capitalized on their
inefficiency to strike”, he confessed.
Giving account on why he preferred stealing to legitimate
work, the suspect revealed, “Immediately after the death of my mother about ten
years ago, after a while, my father re-married. And I felt that once he had
remarried, he would shift his attention from us to the new wife. So, I decided
to abscond from home to fend for my self... I went straight to
Mile 12 where I met some young boys like me. I have been living in that ghetto
since that time. I tried all sort of jobs but I was not deriving pleasure from
them... Even before I finally
left my father's home, he had taken me to where I will learn plumbing work at
Ajelogo around Mile 12. Despite all that, I wasn't satisfied.... At a particular point in time, I felt tired of this life.
This prompted my action to be stealing those batteries.”
The suspect, who is a native of Ijebu-Ode, said that he sold
each battery for N2,500 to one battery charger at Ogijo, suburb of Ogun state. His confessional statement led to the arrest of the receiver
of the stolen items, Nofiu Oriade, 46, the following day by the RRS operatives.
The receiver of the stolen batteries who professed ignorant
of the crime, said that he never knew those batteries were stolen items. “I was ignorant of the sources of those batteries. I thought
he was a scavenger who picked up any unused items from refuse dumb. I don’t
know he is a thief. I have regretted my action to have been collecting those
batteries from him,” he pleaded.
While confirming the arrest of the two suspects, the State
Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Superintendent of Police, Dolapo
Badmus, said that the onslaught to rid-off crime activities in the state is
yielding more positive results. The suspects have been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery
Squad (SARS) for further investigation.
No comments:
Post a Comment