By Evelyn Usman
The  unprecedented presence of stern looking policemen recently at the Computer village, Ikeja where different kinds of electronic gadgets including GSM handsets are sold, threw both traders and buyers into panic.

With the policemen, later discovered to be from the State Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, were two  robbery suspects with  ruffled  disposition, who during investigation, disclosed that they sold most stolen electronic gadgets at Computer village.

Unfortunately, the exact shop where the suspects claimed to have sold the stolen items could not be traced nor the buyers found, after hours of meticulous search

The  prime suspect, identified as Abibu Saliu reportedly broke into an apartment in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi at about 3 a.m., armed with a cutlass and a pistol later discovered to be a toy gun. As he was about leaving the apartment with his loots, one of the occupants said to have gone to ease herself sighted him and raised alarm. But he managed to escape through the fence to an undisclosed hideout inside the estate.

*Suspects and recovered stolen items.

Police sources at Dolphin Estate Division told Crime Alert that the suspect and two other alleged accomplices were later arrested. Explaining how they were arrested, sources said: “Immediately we were informed about the robbery, our men manned all routes in and out of the estate and carried a stop and search on all vehicles. In the process, a Nissan Sunny car with number plate DC 851 MUS drove into the estate with two occupants comprising the driver and another passenger.

Immediately they sighted us, they became jittery and that sold them out. When we asked where they were going, they could not give an exact answer but said they came to pick one of their friends. We then asked them to call their friend to come and  meet them at that spot and when he came, he was discovered to be the person that carried out the raid.

Four laptops and some handsets which he stole from the apartment were recovered from him.”

Consequently, Saliu and his alleged accomplices, Ogunleye Lateef Oluwaseun and Tunde Yusuf were whisked to the station, from where they were transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad,  SARS

In an interview with Crime Alert, Lateef and Tunde confirmed that their friend, Saliu, was into breaking and entry but denied ever going on any operation with him. But in a swift reaction, Saliu who admitted to have broken into the apartment on Dolphin estate alone, disclosed that most of the stolen items were received by Ogunleye Latef who thereafter, sold them at Computer village.

According to Saliu, “ Yes, I am a thief. But I have never killed all my life. I have never gone on any operation  with a live gun. Rather, I  use a toy gun  to scare my victims. I am into this because of hunger. I am only a small thief and I do not intend to graduate into a big one”

Asked to differentiate between ‘big and small thief’, he replied, “ Simple. Big thieves are those who go to bank to rob. They are those who kill people and at the end collect their money and other valuables. But for small thieves like me, they do not kill. They only steal to survive”.

On how he found his way into the apartment, he said, “ I met the kitchen door opened . That was the first building I stormed that midnight. I just went straight to the sitting room and met some laptops and collected them. I do not steal from the poor because they are also hustlers like me. I only steal from the rich because I know they will always have money to replace whatever is taken”

The Osun state born and secondary school drop out, also attributed his indulgence in crime to poverty and lack of help from members of his family.

However,  Tunde Yusuf the other suspect stood his ground, maintaining that he was only deceived by Lateef. “  I am just a Taxi driver. On that day in question, this man here, (pointing to Lateef) boarded my taxi and said he was going to Ikoyi to pick somethings.  I never knew what he was up to until I was  stopped by the Police”