Court remands NSCDC officer, two others over robbery

A Kogi State High court has remanded a National Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) staff, Taiwo Babalola, in prison, in Koto, Kogi local government area over alleged involvement in a robbery case.

Babalola, a serving officer with the Kogi state command of NSCDC, Lokoja, was arraigned along with two others; Kolawole Samson and Ainoko Paul over an alleged armed robbery case which took place at Lokongoma village, Lokoja, Kogi State.

The victim of the alleged robbery, Mr Kadiri Mukailu, told the court that on December 9, 2016, three armed robbers invaded his residence at Lokogoma village, Lokoja robbed him of his Toyota car with Chassis No. 4TIBE46K67U145312, registration No. LKJ 303 MA.

He added that the said robbers also robbed him of his UBA ATM card, Nokia handset valued at N12,000; Itel phone valued at N4,000; a wrist watch valued at N1,500; ten pieces of cloth valued at N30,000 and his original vehicle license.

According to him, he was able to identify the robbers as the operation lasted for two hours and the people wore no mask.

He added that he cannot forget the identity of one of them; Kolawale Samson, who had scattered teeth and wielded a big gun and called himself the “MOPOL”.

Mukailu also told the court that he was able to identify one of the alleged robbers, who was later arrested in the residence of the NSCDC official.

However, at the resumed hearing of the case on Tuesday, Babalola said although he is a neighbour of the alleged robbery incident, he was never part of the robbery.

He told the court that he was in his house on December 9, 2016 when three men in mufti who claimed to be policemen accosted him and told him they were trailing some criminals whom they claimed entered his neighbors house, “As a security officer I asked if I could follow them but they declined my request. I even reported the incidence to my superiors in the office the following day.”

Babalola said he was however surprised to be arrested in his house at Lokogoma village Lokoja on January 8, 2017 along with the two other suspects and taken to the D Division of the police station Lokoja were he wrote his statement.

The presiding judge, Justice Sunday Otu,  ordered that the three accused be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to April 11 for further hearing to enable the prosecutor cross examine the two other suspects.