Members of the Oodua People’s Congress have detained a 23-year-old traffic robber, Jeda Sarumi, for allegedly attempting to rob a motorist at 7-up Junction, Ikosi Road in the Ketu Local Government Area of Lagos State.

A member of the Gani Adams-led OPC faction, Alfeez Alago, said the suspect belonged to a gang of thieves that robbed in traffic every night.

He said, “I was at the security post around 9pm last Thursday when some guys and a lady brought this man to us. They said his gang members collected their phones and money at 7-up Bus Stop.”

One of the victims, Michael Ugo, said that he was heading for Lagos around 7pm from Lotto, Ogun State, when his phone rang.

He said, “I slowed down along the 7-up Bus Stop to check who was calling me. I did not know those boys were around. As I tried to park, one of them just grabbed the phone from me from the steering.

“I quickly came out of the car, trying to negotiate with them, but they opened their shirts and I saw sharp machetes and cutlass. I moved forward to see if I could know where they disappeared to, but I couldn’t get sight of them. As I returned to where I parked, I saw a young boy and a woman, who was crying that some boys just harassed her. I just knew they were the same boys. So, I and the other guy decided to hang around; we knew they might return.

“After 30 minutes, we saw a car driving by and this guy here (Sarumi) was trying to collect the man’s phone through the car window but the driver held his hand and started driving him together with the phone. He decided to let go of the suspect’s hand at 7-Up Bus Stop; we noticed he had no weapon so we started chasing him and we caught him. We dragged him to the OPC station around Ikosi. We wanted him to provide our phones but he said his gang members had taken the phones and promised to take us to where they live in Ogun State.”

A 24-year-old student of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, Timilehin Philip, said he was almost stabbed because he tried to drag his Samsung phone with the hoodlums.

The suspect, Sarumi, an indigene of Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, who said he was a fashion designer, noted that Thursday was his first attempt at robbing along that axis.

He said, “I am a fashion designer. I am 23 years old. It was my friends that pushed me into stealing. I had stopped stealing and was living with my in-law because I am an orphan. But my in-law, whom I sold saving boxes for, said I must return his N5,000 which I took, before he would allow me to stay in his house or do business for him again.

“Since then, I have been sleeping in Ketu Market with my friends. I sold fruits for Mallams there every evening, but my friends used to have plenty of money, so I decided to join them yesterday (Thursday).” (The PUNCH)

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