By OKOSUN DENNIS
A 22-year old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone from a taxi driver.
He claimed that a festering sour in his right leg forced him into the criminal act.
The suspect, Sunday Vincent, was apprehended by operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command on Monday, August 8th 2016.
It was learnt that the suspect and others now at large, forcefully snatched a mobile phone from his victim, a cab driver, (name withheld) at Ojota Motor Park.
According to the victim, the suspect and his gang members beckoned at him to stop along the road. “They pretended as if they wanted to board the cab. And all of a sudden, they asked me to pull over that they were no longer going. As I parked the car, my mind told me to check my phone where I kept it, but I didn’t see the phone again.
“Then I shouted for help, which attracted the RRS operatives patrolling around the scene to come closer. As they sighted the policemen approaching, they took to their heels, making the police to immediately, run after them and caught the suspect while others managed to escape.”
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The suspect confessed that he was forced to commit the crime because he was desperately looking for money to cure his three-year old sour in his right leg.
According to him, “I was injured about three years ago when I was a bus conductor. Since that time I have been nursing the sour. I had spent all my life savings on it. When helps were no longer forthcoming from anywhere, I deliberately committed the offence because I must cater for my wellbeing and continue to treat the sour.
“After I was caught, I realised that I had committed offence against God and Humanity. If I had known, I would have chosen another means to look for money rather than taking to stealing”, he added.
He revealed that the receiver, Samuel Ajekigbe, was his benefactor who accommodated him when he had no place to live. He has also been arrested at his residence, No. 38, Oyinbo Orunmila, Unity Estate in Ojodu.
Ajekigbe, noted that the suspect only told him he saw the phones on the ground on his way home.
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“I met the suspect about five years ago. He was my neighbour at Isheri-Olofin. After I packed out of the house, we lost contact. All of our sudden he just showed up at my new resident at Unity Estate seeking for accommodation. I took pity on him and accommodated him under my roof.
“But to my surprise, I never knew he was stealing those phones. He only told him he found them on the ground on his way home. Then, I decided to help him to sell them for N8, 000. And out of that money, he gave me just N2, 000”, he added.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo Badmus, noted that investigation is ongoing to arrest the fleeing members of the syndicate.
The two suspects have been transferred to Lagos State Task Force on Environment for prosecution.