One of the two-man robbery gang arrested by
the operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command for
allegedly robbing a 81 year old lady in her apartment, has confessed that his
ringleader, an herbalist, now at large, masterminded the crime.
The suspect, Segun Taiwo, was apprehended
after they had successfully dispossessed the 81-year old lady of her valuable
at Oduduwa Street, Itire, Lagos.
The duo had collected $10,000, £5,000, an
N100,000 and a box containing assorted jewelry from their victim at about 8:00
p.m over the weekend.
While confessing at the RRS’s Headquarters,
Taiwo disclosed that he was only invited into the robbery by the herbalist, who
promised to give him 50 percent from the loot.
While explaining how they got clue before
carrying out the operation, he explained, "the mastermind is an herbalist.
He was treating one of the woman's daughters (name withheld) who had sore in
her right foot… Whenever the lady visited him for treatment, he was always
stylishly collecting information about her mother from her…. Unknowingly to the
lady, he had collected all necessary descriptions and information needed to
perpetuate the robbery…. After a while, he told me that we have a special
operation. He further told me that his patient (the woman's daughter) must not
be aware because we were going to their house to rob her mother."
The suspect also told investigator that, the
herbalist knew exact time to strike the house, the description of the
apartment, where the woman's money and other valuables were kept following the
information gotten from her daughter.
According to him, "we carried out the
robbery successfully. We gained entrance into the two-storey building and
headed straight to the old woman’s flat…. From our preliminary investigation,
we got to know that the first flat opposite the entrance gate was theirs. We
went straight inside the flat without any stress…. We met the 81 year old woman
while sitting on the prayer’s mat inside the living room. We dragged and threatened her with cutlass
and axe to surrender all her belongings including foreign currencies with her or
else we will waste her life.”
The suspected robber explained that the old
woman cooperated with them and handed over a bag filled with both Nigeria and
foreign currencies.
"We also forcefully collected her gold
jewelry box…. However, on our way out, we overheard the voice of the old
woman who was crying and shouting for help…. Unknowingly to us, RRS operatives
who were patrolling the area have overheard her voice. As we were rushing out
to escape from the house, the operatives sighted us and we took to our heels…. Immediately,
the policemen made a hot chase which led to my arrest and my accomplice managed
to escape with the local and foreign currencies while the jewelry box was
retrieved from me," the suspect revealed.
The suspect also disclosed that they had
before now, robbed one innocent man along Okota Road of his Two Hundred Thousand
Naira (N200,000.00).
“My gang leader is a very powerful herbalist.
He knows when you have money on you. The first day I followed him to rob was a
day when we went to Okota Road. On getting there, he saw one man along Okota Road,
and he pointed at the man and told me the man had money on him…. We moved
closer to the man and he recited some incantations, and to my surprise, that
man handed over his money, about Two Hundred Thousand Naira, to us. Out of that
money, he gave me just Eleven Thousand Naira (N11, 000.00),” he added.
While confirming the arrest, the State Police
Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo Badmus,
said that the command is making effort to arrest the gang leader, added that
Police will leave no stone unturned to nip crimes at bud in the state. The
suspect has been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for further
investigation.
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