Footballer, three others arrested for stealing 70 phones, ipads

A  footballer was among four suspected men arrested for robbing shops at the Alaba International Market, Lagos State.
The police said the gang broke into shops and stole 70 smart phones, including ipads valued at over N1.5 million. But the suspects insisted that it was only 10 phones they stole.

Onyenge Osanie, 35, was arrested alongside his partners, Azuka Eboh, 27, Ezelonwu Arinze Michael, 22 and Afolabi Shakiru, 21.
They were arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, in an operation led by the Officer in Charge (OC) of SARS, a Superintendent of Police (SP), Mr. Abba Kyari.
According to police, the suspects were about 10 who participated in the alleged operation. Two of them were arrested during the operation, while two others were arrested in the course of the investigation. At the moment, the police are hunting for six fleeing suspects. Among the fleeing suspects, is one Friday, alleged to be the leader of the gang.
Osanie, a professional footballer with Young Striker Football Club, said: “I was among the guys that looted a phone dealer’s shop at the Alaba international market. Usually we go to phone dealers who specialise in selling stolen phones to settle us. We attacked the phone dealers’ when they refused to settle us. But we only took 10 phones. While we were still carrying out the operation, we saw SARS men. I escaped with the other seven men. The police however succeeded in apprehending two among us. I was traced and arrested through the first two guys that were nabbed.”
Osanie, a father of three, asked for clemency, adding: “I regretted participating in that operation.”
stating his own side of the story, Eboh said they attacked the shops because the dealers who used to settle them failed. The gang was also disappointed that the chairman of the Alaba International Market, who used to give them money sometimes, failed to show up.
 Eboh, unemployed, said: “We went to see the Chairman of the Alaba International Market in Ojo. We heard he was coming to the market. We decided to pay him a courtesy visit because each time he comes around; he would give us money, which we would share among ourselves.
“The chairman didn’t show up. Friday our leader decided that we should burgle shops and loot their wares. All we did was threatened the traders, so that we can loot their shops. We weren’t armed. Everything was the idea of our leader Friday. He is a very popular person in the area. When we got there, we broke the show-glasses. While the operation was still on, two of our members we caught.”
Michael, a motor boy, who used to ply Okokomaiko routes with truck drivers, said: “I went with the group because I heard that Alaba International Market Chairman would be coming to the market. If only I knew that I would end up here, I wouldn’t have gone with them. We took advantage of the commotion in the market to rob.”
Shakiru, a bricklayer, said he was at home on the fateful day when his friend Eboh, came to call him.
His words: “Eboh said I should come to Alaba International Market. He told me that the chairman usually shares money for touts in the market. I went there to meet him. Some of us attacked the traders as if they owed us money, while others used the opportunity to loot shops. We stole only 10 phones.”