STUDENT, MECHANIC ARRESTED OVER ROBBERY, CULTISM
Police detectives attached to the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad (FSARS), Adeniji Adele, Lagos, have arrested a secondary school student and a mechanic for alleged cultism and armed robbery.
The duo were nabbed in Benin City, Edo State, after they allegedly dispossessed a girl and her boyfriend their mobile phones at gunpoint.
But Godwin Ojanose, 20, a Senior Secondary School(SSSIII) student and the mechanic, Sunday Osakpolor, 21, claimed they were introduced into armed robbery and cultism by a member of the gang, simply identified as Joseph, who is at large.
Ojanose and Osakpolor are said to come from Edo State. According to the suspects, all the members of the gang belonged to a cult group known as Eiye Fraternity. Ojanose said he was stubborn and always ready to fight, adding that it had negatively affected his promotion in the school. 'I am very stubborn, I fight a lot. This is my first time to rob, after we stole a gun from a man. We robbed two persons in Benin, I'm also a cultist. We have different type of cults in my school. I attend Nupara Secondary School, Benin city. It was Joseph, who brought this idea of robbing and now, he has escaped.' Ojanose said.
He claimed the death of his mother in 2007, affected his life negatively. His advice to the youths: 'Please, don't engage in criminal activities. I will advise you not to join any cult group or engage in armed robbery. They are bad. And there's no gain in them. Now, I'm regretting it.' Osakpolor claimed his offence was that a gun was found in his possession when they were arrested.
'We were three that went for the robbery. One of us, Joseph escaped. It was Joseph who sold the idea to us. He told us he had no handset and that we should go to rob. He took us to Ewhohime in Ishan. We waited for a man to drive out in his Peugeot 505 before we broke into his house and stole this gun and some bullets.'
'We used the gun and bullets to rob.
We only robbed a girl and her boyfriend of their handset at gunpoint. They were discussing at Lucky Junction, Benin city when we came with the gun and collected their two handsets at about 8 p.m. We were three that went for the operation. I was the one holding the gun, I'm a motor mechanic. But there was no work for me to do in the workshop. I can say that we are not only armed robbers but cultists. We belong to the same Eiye Fraternity.'
'I will never rob or steal again. I have never stolen before, it was Joseph who brought this wicked idea of going to rob. Now, see where it has landed us,' Osakpolor lamented. The Commissioner of Police in-charge of FSARS, Mr. Jubril Adeniji, said the policemen also recovered one local shotgun and five ammunition from the suspects.
Adeniji, however, advised parents and guardians to always monitor their children and wards to prevent them from joining bad gangs. 'Advise your children, to avoid all forms of criminal activities. In most cases, they get involved through peer group. Imagine a secondary school student engaging in armed robbery and cultism. It's shocking and bad enough. If you had tried it before, you better stop it or be prepared to face the wrath of the law,' Adeniji said.