Suspect tells how he graduated from pick pocket to armed robbery

A suspected pick pocket turned armed robber Ifeanyi Samuel 30 and his gang members are telling policemen in Lagos state police command how they rob residents in the state.

The 30 year old Samuel and other suspected members of his armed gang identified as Chidi Okafor and Ifeanyi Ohanuka were arrested by policemen attached to the Morogbo Division after they allegedly ran into a swamp during a robbery operation in the Morogbo Badagry area of Lagos.

According to investigation , the suspects had allegedly broken into an apartment and were attacking a woman but luck ran out on them when the woman raised alarm .

It was gathered that the woman ‘s cry for help attracted her neighbours as sensing that their operation had failed, Ifeanyi and his gang members left the woman and fled from the apartment.

However in their bid to escape, they ran into a swamp and the residents who were chasing them caught them and alerted the police at the Morogbo Division.

It was gathered that one of the gang members escaped while the police recovered a locally made gun, three planks,a blade and one torch from the the crime scene.

The case was transferred to the Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad Ikeja.

Samuel who claimed to be the leader of the gang said he started picking pockets and snatching hand bags.

He said ” I am from Abia State. I attended Okafor Secondary school in Abia State.

” My parents gave me N50,000 to start a phone accessory business after I graduated but I got more money and travelled to South Africa. I was in South Africa for about six months and to survive there, I got my self involved in selling hard drugs.

” I was arrested and sent to jail. After serving the jail terms, I was released and deported to Nigeria last year. I could not fend for myself so I started picking lockets and snatching bags at the Alaba area of Lagos.

“I was working alone but on one fateful day, I went to smoke Indian hemp at a joint called Abuja Joint along TV line in Alaba. I met Ohunuka and Okafor at the joint. We left together and I told them about armed robbery. I started the gang and recruited others.

” I was the one that pointed the house we went to rob. We used a blade to cut the mosquito net and we entered through the window. We used planks to climb the fence and entered the apartment before we cut the net. T

he woman we were about to rob started shouting ” thief , thief ” and that was how her neighbours came out and started chasing us.

” In our bid to escape , we ran into a swamp and that was how they caught us “. According to the police, a member of the gang is still at large and the arrested suspects were charged to court on Friday by the the police led by the Investigating Police Officer Ademorele Toyin .