A father of one, who police describe as an unrepentant robber, has been arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command with assistance from citizens, for allegedly snatching phones and other valuables.
The suspect, Tunde Ajeigbe, according to the police was first arrested by RRS operatives for such offence and charged to court in 2017 and remanded.
It was learnt that the 27-year-old suspect, with two other accomplice (Ekene and Bolenbe) allegedly rode a motorcycle to 7Up area of Lagos to rob unsuspecting members of the public.
Ajeigbe reportedly jumped off from the bike and snatched an android phone from a passenger traveling in a commercial bus. Bala Elkana, Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect, said after snatching the phone, Ajeigbe joined his cohorts on the bike and sped off.
Elkana said luck went against the suspect as witnesses, who were at the scene of the crime, gave them a hot chase up to Otedola Bridge where they alerted RRS men underneath the bridge.
He said the policemen gave the fleeing thieves a hot chase forcing them to abandon their motorcycle and run into the bush before Ajeigbe was arrested while the two others escaped with the stolen phone.
In his confessional statement with the police, Ajeigbe admitted to have been arrested for similar offence sometime in 2017 and was charged to court for the crime.
“I was arrested around Ojota after I snatched a lady’s phone and got caught by the police. I was remanded in prison and released on 19th of November 2019 but couldn’t go back to my wife and child,” he said.
He further stated that he went back to the house he rented before going to prison but couldn’t find his properties and his family again, so he “made for the street again.”
He said, “I went back to Oshodi under bridge and joined my friends again who gave me clothes to wear and bought me food before we went back into our usual job.”
“Although, after spending some days in Mushin, some of my area brothers who knew I just came from prison helped me secure a motorcycle on hire purchase but that wasn’t enough for me as I wanted to make quick money to go and see my mother in the village after leaving home for three years without seeing her.
“My aged mother would be worried after I left home without returning and no one knew my whereabouts as my wife never informed my family that I had been arrested and remanded in prison.
I therefore sought to steal again to raise some money but unfortunately I was caught”, the suspect was quoted to have wrote in his statement. Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu warned criminal elements in the state to stay off as the command will not allow any hiding place for them.
He ordered the case be transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery squad for further investigation.