A 24-year-old robbery suspect, Phillip Toihile, has told the police in Lagos
lack of money to treat his health challenge pushed him to robbery.
Toihile, a member of a
three-man robbery gang, was arrested over the weekend by the operatives of the
Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Command.
He said: “The doctor
prescribed some drugs worth N17,000. I was told at the health centre to go and
get the drugs and come back for further test. This thing is like a
temptation.”
The suspect, who spoke after
he was paraded, said he went into robbery to raise funds for his diabetes
drugs.
Toihile was arrested
along with his two accomplices, Salifu Abbey (26) and Idris Sulyman (28), at
Ijora about 10p.m., while attempting to rob a taxi driver, Amori Fatai.
On arrival
at the RRS headquarters at Alausa, Toihile, who confessed to the crime,
explained that he went into robbery to raise N17,000 to procure his prescribed
drugs.
the suspect,
a former convict, who was released from Kirikiri prison in July 2014, said he
was not expected to be found in a situation like this, if not for his
condition.
He added: “I was sick.
I went to the health centre. They said I am diabetic and that my sugar level
was 475 milligram. The doctor prescribed some drugs worth about N17,000. I was
told at the health centre to go and get the drugs and come back for further
test.
“So, I invited my
friend, Salifu Abbey, and I explained to him my situation. I sought his
cooperation and he agreed to assist me to raise the funds. I got the gun that
we used in Yaba Railway yard. The gun was wrapped with a polythene bag by cart
pushers. I picked it with two live cartridges and we mapped out our plans.
“I told Salifu to wave
down a taxi cab. Our plan was for the cab to take us to a desolate place where
we can rob and dispossess the driver of all his money. We told the driver that
we were going to Ijora and that we are going to get down at two separate
points. I would get down first while Salifu would alight later.
“I
sat at the back seat with Salifu in front beside the driver hiding a locally-made
long gun in his rain jacket. We were close to my bus stop when the driver,
apparently frightened, asked for the fare.
“Salifu and I started
arguing on who should pay the fare, which was part of our plan. Unfortunately,
Salifu was pulling out the gun when RRS men approached the vehicle to see if
everything was alright with us but he noticed Salifu was trying to hide
something. They searched the vehicle and found our gun, a knife on me and two
live cartridges.”
Meanwhile, Abbey,
a labourer and Toihile’s accomplice has distanced himself from the crime.
He said: “Although the
gun was found on me, it was given to me by Toihile. He told me he was returning
the gun to the owner in Ijora while he was on his way to his girlfriend’s
house. He begged me to help him conceal the gun. Because he was looking frail and
emaciated, if he had a gun on, people would spot it. Besides, what I was
putting on was a jeans and overall jacket; I felt it was easier for me to hide
the gun.”
Another
suspect, Sulayman, who is also a former convict, turned cobbler, was fingered
far away from the crime scene, by the two arrested suspects, as the leader of
the gang when they were arrested.
While denying any
involvement in the crime, Sulayman was arrested when he was trying to
monitor his gang operation through phone.
He said: “After I
gained my freedom from prison about a year ago, I have turned a new leaf.”
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