In what appeared to be a clampdown on criminals operating in the ever-busy Oshodi, Lagos and prelude to the Yuletide, the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested six teenagers, who allegedly specialized in mobile phone stealing.

The suspects, who were brought in batches to the RRS’s Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja were all apprehended the same day in Oshodi while allegedly brazenly dispossessing commuters of their belongings.

The suspects; Ganiyu Rahman Sadiq Adebayo, Timilehin Oluwaseun, Ogundare Moyinoluwa, 18, Toheeb Tijani, 19 and 17- year-old Adeleke Sodiq were arrested at the weekend in Oshodi Oke.

According to one of the suspects, Ganiy Rahman, “We are over 50 boys. We are always in Oshodi – Oke, from morning till late night.

“Some of us genuinely help people to carry their loads while many of us are there to snatch handbags, phones and other valuables from people. At times, we pretend to be helping them but our focus is their valuables. Most times, we work in groups.

“I have been sleeping in Oshodi Under Bridge since 2013. I work as conductor and whenever I am not working, I am with my peer to rob and snatch valuables in Oshodi”, he stated.

“We were three when we stole the Microsoft phone from a lady’s bag. We pretended to be helping the lady to get a bus.

The Lagos State Taskforce had earlier committed me to 13 months rehabilitation.

His victim, Sarah Obende, an undergraduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) said, “I discovered my phone was missing immediately I boarded a bus in Oshodi. I received a call in the evening that I should come to Alausa to collect my phone”, she disclosed.

Another suspect, Sadiq Adebayo who was allegedly in company of two other boys while stealing an iphone and a phantom Tecno phone from a car, disclosed, “Osas and Janbele stole the two phones. We have sold the two phones along with seven other phones to Tuwo in Idi Oro, Mushin. They gave me N7, 000 from the proceeds.

Four of the remaining suspects, Timilehin Oluwaseun, Ogundare Moyinoluwa, Toheeb Tijani and Adeleke Sodiq were all separately apprehended while stealing phones and purse from commuters in similar circumstances.

Responding to the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, said Police would leave no stone unturned in getting rid of criminal elements within the state.

•Story and photo of the suspected teenage robbers courtesy of The Guardian.

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