Toy gun exposes suspected robber (Photo)

 

                       A MAN is being held by the police for allegedly robbing residents of a Lagos Street with a toy gun.

                      His accomplice was said to have escaped on discovering that the suspect was holding a toy gun when they were stopped by the police.

                     Stanley Ifeanyi Okorie, 20, who is being detained by the Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was arrested after the operation along Badagry Expressway in the Satellite Town area.

The police said tenants raised the alarm on the March 28 about 2.30am

The alarm attracted a crowd that attempted to lynch the hoodlums, but they escaped.

Luck ran out against them when they were stopped by operatives of Satellite Police Station for routine check.

On realising that Stanley was holding a toy gun, his accomplice, Chijoke ran away. The police arrested Stanley on finding the ‘gun’ on him and transferred him to SARS for investigation.

Yesterday, Stanley, who said he resides at 44, Orege Street, Dustbin bus stop in Ajegunle, said: “I completed my secondary school education in 2008. When my mother died, my father had stroke and died a month after. There was no money for me to continue with my studies and take care of my sisters – Nneka and Tochukwu – and my brother, Chinedu. When a woman from my town wanted to go to Lagos, I followed her to Iyana-Ipaja, where I met a friend, Chijioke, who lured me into armed robbery.”

On the Badagry Expressway operation, he said: “Chijioke and I entered a house and found out that the man, his wife and children were sleeping. Chijioke told me to open the man’s door to enable us enter and operate. The moment I opened the door, the man rushed me, grabbed me and started punching me while the wife was shouting “ole, ole, ole” (thief, thief, thief). Her shout attracted neighbours who joined in beating me. I escaped but the Satellite police on patrol caught me and later transferred me to SARS.

“I had operated four times before I was arrested. The first one was at Igando where we got N13,000 cash and handsets. The second operation was also at Igando where we got three Nokia phones and N15,000. The third was at Agbara where we got N25,000. The fourth was in Lekki where a woman went and withdrew money from the bank; we went after her and collected it. Chijioke did not tell me the amount.

“We don’t use gun to kill. I use toy gun. After operations, I tie victims’ hands and legs to prevent them from pursuing us. We also tie their mouths to stop them from raising the alarm. Chijioke uses locally made gun to distract people who want to pursue us after operation.”