A member of a two-man robbery gang has exposed how his gang took advantage of a festering sore on one of the legs of the daughter of an 81-year-old woman to rob the octogenarian.
The suspect, Segun (surname withheld), who was arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, claimed that an herbalist, simply identified as Ademola, who healed the daughter of the woman, perfected the robbery.
Segun and Ademola had, last weekend, invaded the old woman’s residence at Oduduwa Street, in Itire area of Lagos State and robbed the old woman of her valuables.
The duo had collected $10,000, £5,000 and N100,000 and a box containing assorted jewellery from their victim at about 8:00 p.m, at the weekend.
While confessing at the RRS’s headquarters, Taiwo stated that he was only invited into the robbery by the herbalist, who promised to give him 50 per cent from the loot.
While explaining how they got clue before carrying out the operation, he said “the mastermind is an herbalist. He was treating the woman’s daughter (name withheld), who had sore on her right foot.”
The image maker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest of the suspect and added that he had been transferred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad of the state police command.
He continued: “Whenever the lady visited him for treatment, he was always stylishly collecting information about her mother from her. Unknown to the lady, he had collected all necessary descriptions and information needed to perpetuate the robbery.”
“After a while, he told me that we have a special operation. He further told me that his patient (the woman’s daughter) must not be aware because we are going to their house to rob her mother,” he added.
The suspect also told the investigator that the herbalist knew the exact time to strike in the house, the description of the apartment, where the woman’s money and other valuables were kept following the information gotten from her daughter.
According to the suspect, “We carried out the robbery successfully. We gained entrance into the two-storey building and headed straight to the old woman’s flat.”
He also confessed that “From our preliminary investigation, we got to know that the first flat, opposite the entrance gate, was theirs. We went straight inside the flat without any stress. We met the 81-year-old woman while sitting on the prayer’s mat inside the living room.
“We dragged and threatened her with cutlass and axe to surrender all her belongings, including foreign currencies with her or else we will waste her life,” he stated.
The suspected robber said the old woman cooperated with them and handed over a bag filled with both local and foreign currencies.
“We also forcefully collected her gold jewellery box.
However, on our way out, we overheard the voice of the old woman who was crying and shouting for help, “ the suspect further stated.
On how he was arrested, he said “unknown to us, RRS operatives, who were patrolling the area, overheard her. As we were rushing out to escape from the house, the operatives sighted us and we took to our heels.”
The suspect also said that they had before now, robbed one innocent man along Okota road of his Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200, 000.00).
“My gang leader is a very powerful herbalist. He knows when you have money on you. The first day I followed him to rob was a day when we went to Okota road. On getting there, he saw one man on Okota road, and he pointed at the man and told me the man had money on him “ he confessed .
“We moved closer to the man and he recited some incantations, and to my surprise, that man handed over his money, about N200,000, to us.
“Out of that money, he gave me just N11, 000.00,” he added.
and then