A suspect, Farayola Oladimeji, who was paraded by the Oyo State Police Command recently stunned everyone when asked about the source of the gun he was using for robbery and he replied that it was given to him by his friend who goes by the name ‘Jesus’.
The 29-year-old Ogbomoso-born man, described as a one-man squad armed robber, was arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Oyo/Ogbomoso axis, following a tip-off on his alleged criminal activities, which included snatching of motorcycles and dispossessing students of their phones and other valuables.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor told Crime Reports that after the suspect’s arrest, two unregistered Bajaj motorcycles and one cut-to-size locally-made pistol, nine live cartridges and different types of handsets were recovered from him.
Oladimeji, who confessed to the crime, said he was into the sale of motorcycle parts until he fell victim to okada snatchers in 2011. The suspect said that the experience made him to decide to ply the same business to make money. Narrating the event he claimed led him to robbery, Oladimeji said: “I got a motorcycle to work with, with the agreement that I would pay for it instalmentally.
“The okada was collected from me by someone who posed as a passenger. I paid the money back with much difficulty so I decided to start doing what was done to me. My operational method was to ride on an okada as a passenger. Whenever we got to a lonely place, I would ask the okada rider to stop and would pull out a gun, asking for the key of the motorcycle.
“I have snatched four motorcycles through that method. My friend, whose name is ‘Jesus’, gave me the gun. I was also using it to dispossess students of Ladoke Akintola Univeristy of Technology of their mobile phones. I met the students in a class and robbed them.”
Oladimeji disclosed that he started his operation in 2013. “I dismantled two of the motorcycles and sold them in parts while I was using two for myself. I got about N30,000 from the sale of the parts.”
The PPRO said that the suspect would soon be charged to court.