2 ‘one- chance’ thieves nabbed by Task Force to spend 7yrs behind bar

A Mobile Court in Oshodi, Lagos has convicted and jailed two ‘one chance’ thieves for dispossessing passengers of their belongings, including phones, money, among others along Mile 2 area of the state.

The two convicts, Chukwudi Ezeudo of No. 1, Ezeudo Lane, off Babarin Street, Ajegunle and Wilfred Ukpo of No. 1, Ajose Street, Ajegunle, Olodi-Apapa, were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force on Tuesday at Mile 2 area with 50 different brands of mobile phones.

According to a statement issued by the Agency’s spokesperson, Mr. Taofiq Adebayo, the duo had confessed using painted commercial (Volkswagen) bus with registration No ‘EPE 165 XS’.

To robbed innocent citizens around Lagos, in places such as Oshodi, Obalende, Orile, Pen-cinema, Ojota, among others.

Following their guilty plea, Magistrate Lateef Owolabi sentenced both Chukwudi and Wilfred to a term of seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.

He also confiscated the painted commercial (Volkswagen) bus with which they operated to the state government, just as the magistrate ordered that the recovered phones should be given back to their owners.

Chairman of the Task Force, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, who confirmed the arrest of the convicts, said the two convicts specialised in picking passengers with their painted commercial bus and dispossessing them of their valuables such as phones, wallets and jewelleries. He said their arrest followed a report made to his Agency by a victim.

“Immediately a victim reported that he was robbed inside a painted commercial (Volkswagen) bus, the Task Force enforcement team and KAI officials chased them and apprehended the suspects along Mile 2 area with 50 different stolen mobile phones,” Egbeyemi said.

He said that the duo confessed to operatives of the Task Force that they were operating in different parts of the state, adding that the convicts also confessed that they normal threw out from moving vehicle any passenger that refused to cooperate with them.

Egbeyemi said on the convicts, Chukwudi further confessed that they snatched more than 50 phones and other items daily, which they sold as fairly used at Computer Village and Ajegunle.