CITIZENS COMPASS – A suspected armed robber, Sunday Ojo, nicknamed after Nigeria’s notorious armed robber, Oyenusi, has confessed that he had participated in about 40 armed robbery operations.
Recall that Ojo was arrested by the Ondo State security outfit, codenamed ‘Amotekun’, alongside two others nicknamed after notorious armed robbers three years ago.
They include Timileyin Femi, aka ‘Anini’, 13 years old and Matti Lowe, aka ‘Osunbo’,16 years.
The 16-year-old, who was sent to a juvenile home when he was arrested last year by the state Amotekun, said that he has been involved in over 40 operations.
In an interview after he was re-arrested by the Amotekun corps, and paraded in Akure, the state capital, Sunday said that “l have lost count of the robbery operations I have been involved in. But they can’t be fewer than 40.”
He claimed to be overwhelmed by evil spirit that motivates him to steal.
The state Commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said that Sunday was a second-time armed robbery suspect.
Adeleye added that the suspect, who was arrested for illegal possession of firearms when he was 13 years old and sent to juvenile home, was again arrested for burglary and stealing.
Adeleye said: “We’ve arrested a juvenile robber, who adopted the name of a notorious Nigerian armed robber, ‘Oyenusi’.
We re-arrested a young boy we arrested three years ago and took to juvenile for illegal possession of firearms and robbery.
“At that time, he was 13 years. The best we could do was to hand him over to juvenile and see if he could be rehabilitated.
“Right now, he’s 16. This time around, he broke into a number of shops and removed items. Between then and now, he confessed that he had engaged in over 40 housebreaking activities.”
Speaking on other suspects paraded, the commander said that a woman was among a six-man syndicate that deals in stealing and buying stolen goats with two taxi cabs.
Adeleye said that they were arrested during a raid by his men.
Some other suspects were arrested for snatching and stealing motorbikes from unsuspecting owners at different towns in the state.
“They usually take the bikes to neighbouring states to sell to awaiting buyers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Adeleye said that in collaboration with other security agencies in the state, Amotekun is embarking on flushing criminals out of the forests in the state.
According to him, “We have discovered that kidnappers have left towns and take refuge in the forests.
“So, in collaboration with other security agencies in the state, we are embarking on flushing our forests of unscrupulous elements, who kidnap people on the roadside and flee back into the forest.”
Adeleye reassured members of the public to go about their businesses without fear, stressing that the state will not be a hiding place for criminals.
“My advice to criminals is to go away from the state because there is no hiding place for them.
“We will continue to work with other security agencies to make sure that Ondo State is safe for normal business and social activities,” Adeleye added.
