AN 18-year-old suspect, Isma’il Ado, has attributed his committing robbery to selfishness, greed and heart of evil.

Ado was arrested by Kano State Police Command with his accomplice, Musa Abdullahi, also aged 18, following their invasion of the residence of a mobile phone merchant where they forcefully collected 43 mobile phones.

They were said to have put a knife to his stomach, threatening to stab him if he did not yield to their demand for the phones.

The Commissioner of Police in Kano, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, told journalists at a press briefing that on June 8, at about 3 am, his command received a report from members of a vigilante group at Yakasai Quarters, Kano, that one of the residents of the area who is a mobile phone merchant (names withheld) was robbed of a total of 43 mobile phones in his house.

“In the course of investigation, one Isma’il Ado, 18 years old, of Yakasai Quarters, Kano, was arrested.

“His accomplice, one Musa Abdullahi, also 18 years old, of the same address, was also arrested.

Suspect

The two suspects with the weapons used during robbery operation.

“During preliminary police investigation, 41 robbery mobile phones as well as two knives used in committing the armed robbery were recovered,” the police commissioner said.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that before robbery was carried out, Ado had noticed the victim as a mobile phone merchant, and had conspired with Abdullahi to rob him of his goods.

In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Ado, who disclosed that he was into charcoal sales, said: “It was my selfishness, greed and evil heart that made me commit this crime. My father is late and I live with my mother. The victim is a mobile phone merchant and I know he used to come to market with the phones from his home.

“I was the one who told Abdullahi of the victim having many phones as a merchant. I also knew that he didn’t usually lock his door. We didn’t use masks.

“It was Abdullahi who said that we should go with knife so that the victim would surrender easily. He was the one who held the knife to the victim’s stomach.”

In his confession, Abdullahi admitted going to the victim’s house with a knife.

How we gained entrance

“Our victim usually didn’t lock his entrance door. We went there at about 2am. My accomplice told me about the bag owned by the victim which contained mobile phones. As I got in, I asked the victim of the bag. I sighted the bag and picked it. We quickly left the place and went back to our residences. Ado went home with the bag and kept it.”

Appealing for pardon, Abdullahi, who revealed his vocation to be carpentry, said that it was the first time he had committed robbery, promising not to do so again. (Nigerian Tribune)

•Kano State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Usaini Gumel (second left, front row) and other police officers during the press briefing.

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