The Lagos State Police Command has rescued a poor hawker who stabbed in the neck by suspected armed robbers operating on a commercial Motorcycle popularly known as ‘Okada’ in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
One of the suspects has been arrested while the police are on the trail of one of the robbers who escaped arrest.
Also in the police net was an alleged cable thief who was arrested Thursday morning.
The suspects were arrested separately by operatives from the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in different parts of the state.
The robbery suspect arrested for stabbing a hawker, Rasaq, was apprehended at Ijede Junction, Ikorodu when he was fleeing the scene of the robbery.
The suspect an his accomplice, Yusuph had robbed a puff – puff seller around 5 a.m of N20,000:00 before fleeing. The duo thereafter stabbed their victim twice with dagger in the hand when he challenged them.
The suspects, having completed their mission fled the scene and the victim raised the alarm.
According to the victim, Ogbodo Chibuike, “two young men on Okada stopped in front of me saying that they wanted to buy puff – puff around 5 a.m; because they were of the same age, I didn’t suspect anything. They bought puff puff N200.
” After collecting the puff -puff they refused to pay me. when I challenged them, they alighted from the motorcycle, stabbed me and forcefully took my wallet containing N20,000:00.
” I raised the alarm which attracted people. Because they were on Okada, those who came to my aid couldn’t chase them but some RRS officers on patrol chased them and caught up with them at Ijede Junction. One was arrested while one of them escaped”.
Meanwhile, a cable thief, Abah, 32, was arrested almost same time on Mobolaji Johnson Road, Ikeja with the cables concealed inside a wheelbarrow.
The suspect was recently released from Badagry Prison in December 2018 after being convicted for stealing Solar Panels.
He told the police that he along with two others, now at large, severed the cable from a newly installed transformer in the area.
He said: ” We were three. We cut the cable from a transformer. We climbed the electric pole before removing the cables from It.
” I am so unlucky. My accomplices are Godwin and Zuma. We all connived to cut the cables and we wanted to sell and make something out of it to augment our salaries.”
Speaking on the development, the Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu directed that all the fleeing suspects should be arrested and the cases should be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department ( SCID), Panti, for further investigation.
