‘Hardship Following Subsidy Removal Led Me To Robbery— Suspect

Osun State Police Command has arrested a 30- Year- old man, Adebayo Adedayo for robbing Point of Sales (PoS) operator at Owode Community via Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government area the state.

Adedayo was arrested together with a motorcyclist, Adeyemi Sodiq who drove him out of the scene after robbing the POS operator.

Speaking with our Correspondent at the police headquarters in Osogbo, the main suspect Adedayo lamented that the economic situation in the country led him to robbery.

Adedayo who claimed to be a plumber said he decided to venture into robbery work because nobody has been patronizing him in the past few month due to fuel subsidy removal.

Narrating how he robbed his victim, the suspect said he has been minoring the man for some times in his shop until he targeted the time he closed from work and then hit him with a stick as he was going home with his bag containing recharges card and power banks.

He explained: “It happens that on 17 of July, 2023 I entered a a man’ shop at Owede Community in Iragbiji. I have been monitoring the man’s movement for some time. I stayed somewhere watching the time he would close from shop as he was going with his bag I hit him with stick and immediately he fell down and fainted so I took the bag containing recharge card worth N462,200 and power bank.

When I noticed he has fainted, I ran to hid a place and called a friend who is a motorcycle man named Korepe in Osogbo to come and pick me at Iragbiji with a promise to pay him any amount he wants . I gave the bike man that took me from iragbiji to Osogbo N8,000.

“This is my first time of stealing , the situation and circumstances around made me to snatch the man’s bag. I have a wife and a child, things are too hard for me, no work and I don’t have anyone to give me money though I have a grandma.

“They arrested me through one of my girlfriends in Ekiti State. I sent part of the card to her, so the police tracked the lady and got her arrested. They brought the girl to my house in Osun and arrested me too. I only sent 20k to her.

Speaking with our correspondent, the State Police Public Relation Officer, Mrs Yemisi Opalola said a case of robbery was reported on July 17, 2023 by a man who deals in business of selling recharge card and POS at Store in Owode community behind Oluwatoyin block industry .

“The robbers hit him with stick on his head and forcefully dispossessed him of a bag which contained cash sum of N20,000, recharge cards, 3 POS terminals, two power banks, Wi-fi, Bunch of keys, all valued N877,000.

She said the police swung into action and the two suspects were arrested in connection with the case and recover the stolen items.

“Recharged cards worth N462,200 and Oraimo power bank which were stolen from the complaint were recovered from the suspect’s house.

“The suspects will be charged to court after the completion of the investigation”, she said.