Man arrested by the Police for stealing cartons of cell batteries from a truck in traffic

A suspected robber, 22 year old Timothy Ojomandu who was arrested by the police in Lagos, said his gang always sold stolen items to buyers during heavy traffic at the Tin-Can Port, Apapa.

According to Punch, Ojomandu was arrested in the Mile 2 area on Saturday at about 7pm, while allegedly robbing with 2 other gang members during the gridlock, but the other 2 escaped from the scene.

It was learnt that Ojomandu sneaked into a truck carrying cartons of cell batteries, heading for the Ijora area, and removed two cartons of the product before he was caught.

The police said the driver of the truck, Mr. Ajiboye Mogaji, had raised the alarm during the operation, which attracted policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad to the scene.

During interrogation, Ojomandu said:

“I belong to a gang, and we robbed pedestrians and motorists during the peak period of traffic congestion in the Mile 2 area. I was a bus conductor before our leader, one Victor Chibowu, introduced me to robbery.

“We usually sell all our stolen goods to buyers in the Tin-Can Island area. One of them is Mr. Gawo. He has shops in the Tin-Can Island area. It was the gang leader who usually took the goods to him after each operation.”

The driver of the truck, Mogaji, on giving his statement said:

“When I saw him sneaking into my truck, I pretended as if I did not see him. While inside the truck, he passed one carton to his partner who was moving beside the vehicle. As soon as I saw him passing it, I rushed down on motion.

“When the other gang members noticed me, they ran away with the product. While the suspect wanted to run away too, I held him by the trousers, while I shouted for help. Policemen patrolling the area then showed up at the scene.”

The RRS Commander, Olatunji Disu, said the suspect has been transferred to the state Special Anti-Robbery Squad for further investigation.