Police arrest man and his gang on a robbery mission

Until they get caught you never know the reason behind their criminal intentions, which was the case for 22-years-old Torhole Philip a once jailed arm robber who was nabbed alongside his accomplice on a mission to rob a bus driver.

Punch newspaper reported that Philips was jailed few years ago for armed robbery and car snatching and got out of prison in July 2015.

Apparently, he didn’t learn anything from been locked away, because in no time he was back on the street engaging in the same act.

“I got out of prison and could not find a job. I was dying and had nothing to eat. I was lucky to find a locally made gun where someone hid it around our neighbourhood in Ebute Metta,” Philip said.

With a gun in his possession, the suspect connived with his two friends a 20-year-old Abiodun Salufu and 26-year-old Idris Sulaimon to go on a robbery, before they got crossed by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad at Iganmu area of Lagos.

“I had the gun in my pocket and just wanted to wait till other passengers got down before I pointed it to the driver and ask for all his money. But before we could do that, the RRS double-crossed our vehicle and searched us. I did not know they had been trailing us before,” the suspect confessed. 

The suspect blamed his action on his sickness, he claimed he suffered from diabetes and decided to rob innocent people in other to raise money for his treatments.

“My diabetes worsened when I was in prison. When I got out, I went to a doctor at a clinic in Ebute Metta and the doctor billed me N17, 000,”

Idris Sulaimon, one of the suspects paraded as an accomplice to the crime denied ever been a part of the robbery.

“I was at home when they (Philip and Salufu) were discussing the issue of the gun. They are both my friends. I know nothing about their crime but he (Salufu) went with him to rob.

“Abey (Salufu) asked for the gun and told him to let them sell it. But Philip said that he did not want to sell it because they still needed it. Later that day, they told me they were going to Ijeshatedo to rob and I told them good luck,” Sulaimon said.

The three suspects are presently in police custody.