Why I Joined Robbery Gang – 22-Year-Old Suspect Reveals

File Photo

A 22-year-old armed robbery suspect, Ahmed Akinade, has confessed that the irresistible spoils of robbery operations compared to what he previously made as a smuggler made him to join the underworld....



In a confessional statement, he made shortly after he was arrested by the officer in charge of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Paiko Umar, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Ahmed said, “I don’t live with my parents. I live in Agbara while my mother lives in Sango- Ota, Ogun State. My work was smuggling of rice and other things that could give us money. We call it ‘fayawo.’ I used to go home with N1,500 to N2,000 daily but when I joined a robbery gang, I started going home with over N5,000 to N10,000 after each operation.

‘’We used to go from house to house and there is no type of phone we have not stolen in many of our operations. Since I started robbery work I have never bought any phone with my money. I have robbed more than 10 times and we are a three-man gang namely myself, Taiye and Abbe who is at now large.

The second suspect, Taiwo Adebisi,19, an indigene of Ondo State, said, “I am a bricklayer and I stay at Morogbo with my parents. I was arrested on Tuesday at Morogbo. I did not know that Ahmed is an armed robber until he lured me into it due to hunger and poverty. I followed him to see whether I will get food to eat. This is my first time. We were three but the third member Abbe ran away. I wish to make it clear that I was not a criminal until I met Ahmed who lured me into crime. With this New Testament Bible, I swear if I am released, I will not follow Ahmed to rob again. Tell police to give me a chance to live a new life.’’

According to the police, on December 13, 2016, at about 6: 30 a.m. one Holy Atasowie of 3 Olaiya Street, Agbara Bus Stop, Morogbo, Lagos, was walking along Morogbo Road going to work and he saw people running for their life and as he wanted to know what was happening he was surrounded by three men armed with cutlass who ordered him to surrender all he had on him.

They robbed him of his wallet containing N10,000, driver’s license, Diamond Bank ATM card, two company identity card and one Techno phone valued at N11,000, among others.

The victim’s cry attracted passersby who gave the robbers a hot chase and apprehended one of them identified as Ahmed Akinade. When Ahmed was brought to the police station, the victim who was at the station to lodge complaint identified him as one of the men that robbed him.

His arrest led to the arrest of Taiwo who confessed that there was the third person at large called Abbey.