By Evelyn Usman and Victor Akpa-Fresh

The shout of thief! rented the entire Araro community in Ikorodu area of Lagos penultimate Monday, with three strangers later identified as suspected members of a robbery gang, running in different directions for escape. Unfortunately for them, they were apprehended by the residents who beat them to a state of coma before the arrival of policemen from Shagau division.

But when the trio of Amusan Olawale, Olamide Oladayo and Ogunnowo Tunde, were paraded at the office of the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, they denied being members of a robbery gang. Rather, one of them, Amusan Olamide , a graduate of Tai Solarin College of Education , Ogun state, said they were on a rescue mission at the area .

The 27 -year-old graduate of Economic Mathematics with a blood stained eye, told Crime Alert that one of them, Dayo Olamide, alerted him on the phone that he was being attacked by some thugs around the area and had gone in the company of the third suspect, Ogunnowo Tunde to rescue him , only for the villagers to accuse them of being robbers.

But asked where he got the single double- barrel gun and cartridges recovered from him, he explained, “ the gun was given to me by some members of Aye confraternity when I was still in school. Then, they wanted to force me into the cult but I refused. They gave me a condition that I would be their amourer even if I did not want to join them and I agreed because I was afraid they could kill me. That was how they started keeping this gun with me.

Out of fear, I left my apartment then and was staying in town . I wrote my exams from town. It was after I had rounded up my programme that I went and packed my things and also collected the gun with the intention of using it for self defense”.

On why he brought the gun to the scene of arrest, he replied, “ some boys in the community are fond of harassing and extorting people in the area. They are usually armed and have been on this for long.. Dayo called me on that day that the hoodlums accosted him and I went for his defense, taking along the gun. Even when we got there, we were searching for the exact place he was. It was in that process that a woman came out from an apartment and on sighting me, she began to scream. I tried to explain to her that we were not there for her. In my bid to convince her, I asked her to even hold the gun. But at that point, the next thing I heard was the shout of ole! And people rushed out and started beating us. We are not robbers, I swear.”

cartridges and chams recovered from the suspects

At this juncture, Oladayo Olamide interrupted, corroborating what his friend, Dayo, said. “ I was in my village in Ogun State from where I had gne to vote. I was on a motorbike that was taking me to the park, when two boys came out from nowhere and ordered us to stop. Their intention was either to collect the money from us or to seize the motorbike. But I told the rider to ignore them. As the motorcyclist was running, it got stuck in the mud because of the earlier down pour. I ran inside the bush for fear of being attacked. It was while I was there that I contacted Olumide. When I heard people screaming, I thought they had caught the people and thereby came out of the bush only for the villagers to descend on me.”

The third suspect, Ogunnowo Tunde wept like a baby as he tried to convince all present that they were not robbers. Describing himself as a victim of circumstance, he expressed regret for agreeing to follow Olumide for the rescue mission.

But the Police described their claim as false maintaining that they had gone for an operation that fateful day. Spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr Samuel Jinadu, explained that, “ report reaching us revealed that they went into an apartment to rob. But unfortunately, they did not meet their target at home. The owner of the building who later came in sighted them and alerted members of the community who thereafter, alerted the Police. They would be charged to court”, stated Jinadu.