JSS 2 student, 30 others in police net for robbery, cultism
A Junior Secondary School II student in Benue State has been arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in armed robbery along Makurdi-Alaide highway of the state.
The suspect, Atoo Aondoana, 18, was arrested alongside an elderly cleaner with the Nigeria Airforce in Makurdi, Peter Aghande. Aghande is being held for allegedly supplying military uniforms for the robbery operation.
The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, paraded the duo alongside 29 other suspects of armed robbery and cultism at the Police headquarters in Makurdi. Owoseni said the suspects were arrested from various locations of the state between March 28 and April 3 for crimes mainly bordering on armed robbery and cultism.
He said one of the robbers whose gang specialised in robbing people along MakurdiLafia road was killed when he engaged the police patrol team in gun battle while Aondoana was apprehended in military uniform supplied by Aghande.
He added that 13 different types of weapons were recovered from the arrested suspects including sub-machine and one motor vehicle.
Speaking with Daily Trust, Aondoana, who lives with his father at Ikpayongo village in Gwer West LGA, admitted to the crime, explaining that he bought the military uniform from someone.
“We carry hunting guns for operation but I was not arrested with a gun. I had no weapon guns on me during my arrest. I’m a secondary school student in JSS2 at Ikpayongo. My father is a farmer and I’m the only child of my mother who is now married to another man in Makurdi,” he narrated. Aondoana said a friend introduced him to the robbery gang.
On his part, brandished his Aghande, who identity card as cleaner with the Nigerian Airforce, claimed that the Airforce personnel used to give him worn out cloths (uniforms) to throw away and that the boy (suspect) begged him to give him the cloths instead of disposing them. “But, I was shocked the following day when I heard that the boy went to rob with it,” Aghande said. A robbery suspect arrested by the police in Katsina has said he was initiated into armed robbery by other convicted robbers during his recent incarceration for another offence.
Speaking with newsmen during his parade, Shamsudeen Dahiru said one Hussaini Boda who is presently serving his jail term in Kaduna introduced him to robbery.
“Prior to my meeting with him, I only jump houses and do little thefts but after my stay with Boda in Kaduna, I moved to armed robbery in full; I began to steal motorcycles using guns,” he said
Dahiru, 27, was arrested alongside Abdullahi Lawal and Usman Abdullahi all of Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Wakili, said the suspects were arrested with an automatic pistol and eight rounds of live ammunition.