James Sowole in Akure
A robbery suspect, Chukwuma Okoro, has confessed that he attempted to rob in order to raise a sum of N300,000 to pay the bride price of his wife who ran away from his home.
Okoro was among four robbery suspects arrested and paraded wednesday by the Ondo State Police Command .
Other suspects paraded are Ezenwa Raphael, Chukwudi Oruma and Thomas Onofuapo.
Raphael confessed that he bought a Range Rover Sport 2007 Edition worth N6 million for N800, 000 but later sold it for N1.5 million.
Parading the suspects at the headquarters of the command in Akure, the state capital, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Joseph, said Okoro and other suspects were among the armed robbers who had been terrorising the state in recent time.
Specifically, he said Okoro allegedly attacked a girl who was taking a N500,000 proceed from her master sales to a bank when the suspect attempted to snatch it from her.
The PPRO said the girl raised alarm, which attracted passersby who arrested Okoro.
Joseph said that a pistol and five live carriages were found on Okoro when he was arrested.
Okoro, who said he was a vegetable seller in Akure, said it was his efforts to satisfy his wife that pushed him to robbery, saying he wanted to pay his wife’s dowry but he did not have the N300,000 demanded by her family.
“It is my wife that pushed me into it, I have never stolen in my life, this is the first time, she ran away from my house since three weeks ago and she has been begging me to come back so I started looking for money to pay her dowry before she comes back.
“There is no way I can get more than N300,000 to pay her dowry, that is why I tried to rob and this is the first time I will be doing itâ€, Okoro said. The PPRO said the arrest of Raphael was sequel to a report to the command by one Napoleon Isaac that his brand new Range Rover Jeep and a BMW Jeep were snatched along Akure-Ilesha Road.
Joseph said upon intelligence gathering ,Ezenwa was arrested after purchasing the stolen Range Rover for a sum of N800,,000 from the fleeing members of the gang.
Narrating how he got the vehicle, Ezenwa who is into selling vehicle parts in Ladipo Market in Lagos confirmed to have bought the vehicle from a mechanic for a sum of N800,000. He said he sold the vehicle to another person for a sum of N1.5million.
“ My mechanic came to me that they have a vehicle to sell and they told me it is a Range Rover Jeep. I initially insisted that the Jeep is too much for me but they convinced “I bought it from them for a sum of N800,000 and when I approached a friend I sold it to him again for N1.5million and that was how I was arrested.†THISDAY however, gathered that while the Range Rover worths N6 million, the BMW worths N5million.
Joseph said police has swung into action to recover the BMW.
The PPRO advised members of the public to desist from buying goods from suspicious people.
Also, the police paraded two men who allegedly invaded the house of one Mr. Ifanegan Isaac at Ilutitun ,Okitipupa local government area of the state and robbed him of his Nisan Almeria car and a sum of N90,000.
The PPRO noted that with the combined efforts of men of the command ,one Thomas Onofuapo, was arrested and the vehicle recovered from the gang.
