The police have arrested four suspected robbers
at a Lagos market who claimed they did not
steal from the traders, but only came to collect
their dues.

It was learnt that the suspects- Onyenge
Osanie, Azuka Eboh, Ezelonwu Michael and
Afolabi Shakiru- were nabbed by the police while
they were looting some shops and robbing
traders at the Alaba International Market, Ojo,
Lagos.

Our correspondent gathered that the suspects,
who are four members of a ten-man gang, were
arrested by operatives of the state Special Anti-
Robbery Squad on December 20.
According to the police, the gang, which is led by
a runaway suspect identified simply as Friday,
made use of locally-made guns in their
operations.

Our correspondent also learnt that most of the
gang's victims were phone dealers, and the gang
allegedly carted away about 70 smartphones and
Ipads which were worth about N1.5m.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, 35-year-old Osanie
said the gang robbed the traders and looted their
shops, because they refused to 'settle' them. He
added that they only targeted shops of traders
who had 'offended' the gang.

He said, "We usually work with phone dealers in
the market who specialise in selling stolen
phones. When we steal, they sell, and they then
settle us. But later on, some of them defaulted,
and we attacked their shops. It was not as if we
robbed them, we only came to ask for our
money.
"On that day, we had taken only 10 phones
before the police apprehended us. I had initially
escaped, but two gang members who were
caught at the scene later brought the police to
arrest me."
Osanie, a father of three, said he regretted
working with the gang, adding that if he was
released, he would not indulge in robbery again.
Also, 27-year-old Eboh confessed that the gang
did not only burgle shops, but also vandalised
some property during the operation.
He said, "What we learnt initially was that a
market chairman was coming to give out money
but he later failed to show up. That was when
we decided to deal with the traders. When we
got to the shops, we broke their glasses and
carted away expensive phones.
"I joined the gang because I did not have a job. I
have been living in hardship with my family."
Meanwhile, Michael, 22, said he had also gone
with the gang on three occasions, adding that
they took advantage of the traders'
'misbehaviour' to rob them.
"I was working as a truck driver before I met
them. I had gone out with the gang on three
occasions to rob in the market. We only took
advantage of the commotion of the market to
rob them. It was not deliberate," he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth
Nwosu, confirmed the arrest of the suspects.
"Investigations are still ongoing on the matter at
SARS," he added.

Punch