A 29-year-old suspect, Adeniran Jeremiah, says that the economic hardship caused by the removal
of fuel subsidy pushed him into robbery.
According to him, he started working as a Bolt driver when he couldn’t get a job but the recent
removal of fuel subsidy made him resign from Bolt to another e-hailing company, Rider.
At Rider, he was still unable to take care of his bills because of the rise in fuel pump prices, so he
hatched a plan to start robbing passengers and recruited two of his friends.
While explaining their mode of operations, he said that his friends act as passengers and when they
get to a lonely place, he would pretend that the vehicle had a flat tyre. Then, they would rob the
victim of his/ her valuables.
He further disclosed that since they started robbery operations last month, they made up to N2.1
million.
However, the syndicate met their waterloo when one of their victims recognised Adeniran while
she was shopping in a mini supermarket and raised an alarm.
Speaking to newsmen at Lagos State Command Headquarters, Ikeja, on Friday, he said, “I am an
accounting graduate from North American University in the Republic of Benin. I took to Bolt
driving because of a lack of jobs, but I was able to take care of my bills until the recent removal of
fuel subsidy and the rise in fuel pump prices made it unaffordable.
“After things became hard and unbearable for me, I decided to join another company called Rider.
Thinking I would get relief from the rider company, yet the increase in fuel pump price continued
to soar from N400 to almost N600, so I was working hand to mouth.
“It was then that I started thinking of different approaches to business to alleviate my suffering. It
was while I was thinking about what to do to meet up with my daily target that the devil sold me
the idea of robbing passengers. I contacted two of my friends and told them my idea, and they
agreed with me that the idea was beautiful.
“We strategized on how we would carry out our operations. My gang members would pose as
passengers in the vehicle, while I would pretend as if I didn’t know them. So when we arrived at a
lonely place, I would pretend that I had a flat tyre, so I would alight from the car, pretending to be
checking the faulty tyre, and then my guys, who were armed, would order me to go to the back of
the vehicle. They would also do the same to our victim, but when the victim resisted, I would join
hands with my guys to force the victim to submission. We started robbery operations one month
ago, and we have made up to N2.1 million because we have so far shared N700,000 each.”
He advised the public to be patient and await the palliatives to be distributed by the Federal
Government.
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