A 22-year-old man,
Terry Umuokoro, who makes a living as a pickpocket, has been arrested by the
Apapa Police Division.
Also in custody are
five others, suspected to have taken part in a robbery operation at Senator
Muse Road, Apapa in June 2013.
Umuokoro was arrested
last week at a hotel along Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Lagos. He had allegedly resided
at the hotel for two months.
But the suspect
denied being part of any robbery operation. Umukoro explained that he was a
pickpocket.
He said, “I pick
pockets for a living, I am not a robber. I started in January 2013 because I
had no job after completing my secondary school education.”
Explaining how he
operates, the suspects said he usually armed himself with a school bag to
create the appearance of a university undergraduate.
He said he would then
board as many commercial buses as possible, where he would pick the pockets of
unsuspecting passengers. His loot included money and phones.
He said, “I only
steal Nokia phones because you can sell them easily. I steal about three phones
daily and have a buyer at Boundary bus stop in Ajegunle. I give him the phones
and get paid in return. I make about N10,000 daily.”
Due to the success of
his trade, Umuokoro allegedly moved out of his family home to the hotel at Ojo
road where a room goes at a rate of N5, 000 daily.
The other suspects,
Desmond Ozore, Solomon Mibien, Nelson Mbabie, Jamiu Adigun and Akeem Apejoye,
were initially arrested at the same hotel by the Victoria Garden City Police
Post after a Blackberry Bold 5 which was stolen from a resident at Senator Muse
road, was found with Ozore’s girlfriend.
On June 4 2013, two
buildings were robbed on Senator Muse Road and valuables such as BlackBerrys,
laptops and money were allegedly taken by the armed robbers.
One of the stolen
phones was traced to Ozore’s girlfriend who claimed that he had given her the
phone.
Ozore said, “I am not
a robber, none of my friends are. We are all into internet fraud. We stayed in
the hotel because we need uninterrupted electricity.
“I bought the phone
for N26,000 from Mibien. I never knew it was stolen.”
Mibien denied being
part of the robbery gang and claimed he also bought the phone from another
friend who is currently at large.
There was no response
from the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ngozi Braide. She did
not respond to calls or text messages to her phone.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
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