A burglar arrested by the operatives of the Rapid Response
Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, has disclosed that he pays N240,
000.00 monthly to service his hotel bills.
Joseph David, 20, from Ekpoma, Edo State, was arrested in
Ikeja at about 4:40 a.m. after he had successfully burgled two flats in Gbajobi
Street, Balogun, Ikeja, where he stole three laptops and five mobile phones.
David was on his way to the hotel (name withheld) located in
Dopemu, where he has been lodging for over one month when he was intercepted by
the police.
Investigations by the RRS which were later confirmed by the
suspect and some of his victims revealed that there have been repeated cases of
breaking in around Gbajobi Close, Balogun, Ikeja. The residents around the area
have reportedly lost several valuables and cash to burglars.
David made a confessional statement to the police, saying
that he has been lodging in hotels because he could not live in his parents’
house as a result of the poverty stricken condition of the environment.
He added that each night he spent in the hotel was N8, 000,
noting that he has spent over a month living in the hotel.
“I was returning to the hotel when I was accosted on Awolowo
Way by RRS operatives and they stopped to check my bag. They found: 1 Mac
laptop; two HP laptops, two iPhone 5; one blackberry classic and two Nokia
Touch phones.
“The house I broke into is a two storey building behind
Jabita Hotel in Balogun, Ikeja. I scaled its fence around 3:00 a.m and I
finished the operation around 4:00 a.m. I have broken into some other houses in
that area before, where I stole handsets and laptops. I am into ‘yahoo yahoo’
but money has not been forthcoming like before. I could barely make N100, 000
and N50, 000 like before. That is why I used break in and steal to augment my
earning”, he confessed.
He further added “I stay in the hotel with my girlfriend and
a couple of friends come around. Benjamin is the only buyer that I have. I have
been an embarrassment to my parents”.
According to his buyer, Benjamin Odinaka, 18, a phone
repairer in Computer village, Ikeja, “I buy phones and laptops from him. I used
to visit him in whatever hotel he lodged in to buy the stolen items”.
“This is the third time that I would be buying laptops and
phones from him. I have bought more than seven laptops and several phones. The
last time I bought a Mac laptop, an HP laptop, an iphone 5 and a Blackberry
phone from him.”
One of the residents whose belongings were stolen, who
simply identified himself as Daniel stated, “break in has been going on in the
close for quite some times now. Daily, we hear report of burglars in houses
around us. We don’t know this guy and we have not met him before”.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo
Badmos, the Lagos State Police Command would continue to work ceaselessly to
ensure the successes recorded so far in the area of security is consolidated
and improved upon.
The suspects have been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery
Squad (SAS) for more investigation.
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