Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Barber, plumber, 12 others arrested for robbery, rape

Kunle Olayeni, Abeokuta

Police in Ogun State have arrested 14 suspected criminals over alleged involvement in armed robbery, rape, cultism and illicit drugs.


The suspects include, Ogunleye Olatubosun (21) and Fadimu Titilope (23), a plumber, who allegedly invaded the female hostel of Gateway (ICT) Polytechnic, Saapade and raped some female students.

The duo were said to have dispossessed students of their mobile phones, laptops and jewelry, before raping them at gunpoint.

The Ogun  State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, presented the suspects to journalists yesterday at the command’s headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.

Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, disclosed that two of the suspects also specialised in using grounded pepper to snatch motorcycles from their victims.

The image maker said: "Some of them specialised in snatching motorcycles from cyclists by using grounded pepper. While pretending to be passengers, the gang members will flag down any cyclist, riding a nice motorcycle. When they get to an isolated place, they will sprinkle pepper into the cyclist’s eyes. From there, they will dispossess the motorcycle from the owner. We are able to apprehend some criminals in a couple of weeks ago. Those criminals apprehended ranged from cultists, armed robbers, rapists as well as those who are dealing in illicit drugs and other heinous crimes."

But the two suspects, accused of rape, have denied the allegation levelled against them by the police. They insisted that they were robbers, who only specialised in motorcycle snatching.

One of them, Ogunleye said: "We started to steal motorcycles after somebody stole ours. We are not rapists and we didn't go to any girls’ hotel and never raped any student. We only steal motorcycles.”

Oyeyemi said the suspects were presented to serve as a warning  to others, that the state was no longer a safe haven for criminals.

He vowed that the command, under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, will not condone any form of criminal act.

The police spokesman stated that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the police concluded its investigations.

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