I Failed To Heed To My Mother's Warning – Suspect

Ajibola Alao, 29, a
member of a one chance gang arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response
Squad(RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command, has disclosed that his
failure to heed his late mother’s advice not to take other peoples’
sweat caused his arrest.

Alao
was chased and arrested on Thursday afternoon during one of his routine
operations in Oshodi after dispossessing their lone passenger of his
two phones and the sum on N61,000:00.

The
suspect, in company of the driver and conductor of their operational
bus, a Volkswagen Transporter, with the registration number, APP 820 XE,
had picked up their passenger, Asotie Benedict, at Ladipo with agreed
plan to drop him at Oshodi Under Bridge.

But instead, Alao and his accomplices, armed with an alternative plan did not stop at Oshodi Under bridge for him to alight. 

Citing
the presence of LASTMA at that Bus Stop, they pretended they ascending
the bridge towards Oshodi Oke, it was at this point they dispossessed
Asotie of his two mobile phones (Blackberry Passport and Samsung) and
his wallet containing N60,000:00 before forcing him to alight while the
vehicle was in motion.

According to Asotie, 24,
“after throwing me out in motion, they threw my N100:00 fare beside me
on the road, perhaps, for me to find my way back home. But, I didn’t
give up, I chased the danfo bus. 

Fortunately, I
sighted RRS vehicle, Response 091 and I quickly alerted them and they
chased the vehicle to a halt. They arrested Alao, who took all I had on
me but the driver and the conductor abandoned their vehicle and
escaped”.

He added, “all they took from me were
found on him and some additional phones, which he disclosed to the
police they took from previous victims of their one chance operations”.

Alao,
in his confessional statement, disclosed to be part of a three man one
chance gang and that the two additional phones in his possession
belonged to two previous victims of their operation in Oshodi.

He
stated “I have been in the business of one chance since 2015. At a
point, I stopped and began pickpocketing, joining buses to Sango, Agege,
Oshodi, Apapa and disembarking whenever I have fleeced commuters of
their phones and money”.

“At a time, I was
arrested in Mushin Olosa Police station. My mum, who was very ill and on
admission in an hospital at that time was brought to see me in a
chattered car in detention.

 She pleaded with the officers and secured my bail. She warned me repeatedly never to take other people sweat”, he disclosed.

“She
told me that if I have been using other peoples’ sweat to foot her
hospital bills, I should stop it forthwith. She insisted that if I want
to live long, I should stop stealing from people. She added that the
consequences would be too severe for me if I go back again. Few weeks
after the incidence, she died”.

He continued: I
did it then because I needed N140, 000 to pay my house rent. At this
time, I got more than that from a week operation but I didn’t stop then.
Now, I went back into it to help raise funds for my siblings so that
they won’t follow the same path.

 

I
am the first child and the breadwinner of the family. Since the death
of my mother, I have been taking care of my brothers. That was my
promise to my mum before her death”.

He
added, “most of my colleagues in the business were arrested by RRS last
year. Few ones who were not arrested relocated to other states”.

Confirming
the development, the State’s Police Public Relations Officer,
Superintendent of Police,  SP Dolapo Badmos, said that the Command will
not rest on its oars in nipping in the bud criminal activities in the
state.

The suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, for further investigations