A 63-year-old woman who dared to confront four suspected robbers who invaded her home, at Ishashi, LASU Rroad, area of Lagos State, was hit on the head with a pestle and is not battling to stay alive at undisclosed hospital.
Apparently not satisfied with slamming the wooden pestle on her head, the robbers, shot her son’s two legs, injured the daughter and knifed another son on the neck.
While the robbery was going on, some of the residents alerted police, who dashed to the scene and got the men just as they were attempting to make a quick getaway.
The suspects have been identified as Dare Adetunji, 21, Abraha Isong, 22, Braide Chukwuemeka, 23 and Joshua who is presently at large.
Chukwuemeka however denied that being a member of the gang. He said he was a victim of circumstance.
A police source said: “The robbers injured four victims before carting away their belongings. They stole laptops, computer, one Ipad, money, cloths, phones and other items.
“The old woman, Mrs. Mercy Eboge, sustained an injury on her head because of the pestle one of the suspects hit on her head. Her son, Franklin’s two legs were shot. Mrs. Eboge’s daughter was severely wounded and another son was knifed on the neck.”
The arrest of the men on November, 2, 2014 was made possible by a team of policemen from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, led by the Officer in Charge of SARS, SP. Abba Kyarri.
According to the police, Chukwuemeka used to embark on surveillance of prospective victims’ home before the gang goes for attack.
SARS operatives recovered a pestle, two knives and a locally made pistol from the gang.
Adetunji, a shoe cobbler, said that he met Joshua in a bar, where they became friends. Later, Joshua convinced him to become his partner in robbery.
Adetunji said: “On the day we planned to go for an operation, we met at where we used to smoke, to fine the plan. But before I met Joshua, I used to enter people’s home to steal by tearing their mosquitos’ nets. It was Chukwuemeka who pointed out the old woman’s house to us.”
Adetunji said they entered Eboge’s home around 2am by cutting through the net with a razor blade. He said that when they gained entry into the kitchen, they had to use a stick to slide back the bolt of the door, leading to the sitting room. It was in the kitchen that they picked up the pestle and knives.
The suspect recalled: “The woman woke up. We asked her of her money, but she refused to cooperate. Joshua searched the rooms He found a purse containing N8, 000. We also found phones and other valuable items. While we were robbing them, they were shouting and trying to hold us. It was at that point, that Joshua hit the woman’s head with the pestle.”
Adetunji, who said he embraced robbery because he was desperate to make quick money, revealed that a prophet had once told him that shoe cobbling was his heavenly ordained job. He added: “If I’m allowed to go, I’ll assist the police to catch other robbers in Lagos.”
Stating his own side of the story, Isong insisted that it was the fleeing Joshua who hit pestle on Eboge’s head, injured her daughter and shot her two sons.
Chukwuemeka who said he is an artist and building designer said: “I went to work in the area where the incident happened. I slept there because it was late.
On that night, around 5am, we were heard noises. I saw Dare. He was tied with rope and was in the midst of some youths and community members. They called him out, asking him who was Chika because he told them that it was Chika that led them. He first pointed at a guy called Israel, later they started beating the guy. He also pointed at me. When they asked me, I told they my name is Bright not Chika. I was arrested.”
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