How To End Okada Robbery —Suspects

The spate of motorcycle robbery in Lagos metropolis is becoming too alarming, as one of a four-man gang who often made use of motorcycles has confessed that the only way to put an end to okada robbery is to ban okada riding permanently.

The suspect, Soyinka Adigun, 21 is a native of Ibadan, Oyo State. He was arrested with a pistol while his other accomplices escaped after snatching a BMW car from its owner by anti-robbery policemen attached to Pen-Cinema Divisional Headquater.

In his confessional statement to the police, he said, “ I am a bus conductor and the bus ply Sango Otta- Oshodi route. I sleep regularly at a hotel at Otta, Ogun State and it costs me N1500 every night, aside the money I paid my girlfriends for sleeping with me. Our group is made up of Asaba Lekan, Jabintin(leader), Muritala and me. We made use of a pistol bought by Asaba Lekan for N30000 at Cotonou.

“They came to meet me at our joint in Otta, Ogun State, where we used to smoke Marijuana and the four of us mounted one okada owned by Jabintin at 7pm and went straight to Agege. We saw a new BMW car driven by a young man and his wife beside him as he was about to park we pushed him from the steering to the back seat while his wife remained in front seat. Asaba Lekan , who is excellent in driving took over the steering, Muritala and I stayed with the owner of the car at the back seat in order to prevent him from shouting while Jabintin, our big boss followed behind on okada. Then, as we moved, we were held up in the traffic and unknowingly some boys who had sighted us earlier trailed us and alerted the police. I was arrested while others escaped”.

“Let me tell you one secret, and I am talking from experience, it is better for the government to ban okada because it often paved the way for our escape. We have snatched so many okada and usually sold one for N30000 to N35000. I will lead the police to the buyers. On that day we miscalculated because any time we left home, we often pray to God to give us our daily bread. Sometimes when we go on okada we will park in front of supermarkets, chemists, restaurants, and pretend as if we wanted to buy something and point our gun at them, then snatch their money and other valuable items on them.

”At times, as we move on okada, if we see a house and the gate is opened we will order the occupants at gunpoint to surrender all their possessions.”