THE TRAGEDY OF A NATION: One of the paraded
suspects, Garba Sanni, while speaking with journalists confessed to
have connived with the armed robbers that invaded the company.Sanni
said, "Yes, I am thief; and what is the big deal about that? I did not
even steal, I was there and I opened the gate for them so that they
could take whatever they wanted."The armed robbery suspect asked
rhetorically, "What about our politicians who are using their position
and office to steal. You journalists, have you not done anything wrong
before?"We are all thieves in Nigeria and we should stop pretending or
pointing accusing fingers at some people. How much is my salary? I am
paid N12, 000 every month and you expect that I will not steal. How do
you think that is possible?" - Armed Robbery Suspect
By Evelyn Usman
…Says ‘Our case is not peculiar, Senators steal as well’
There was mild drama Monday at the premises of State Criminal Investigations Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos when a robbery suspect boldly confronted reporters as he was being paraded with his partners in crime.
The suspect, Garba Sani, 24, was a private guard attached to Honda Place, along Oshodi/Apapa expressway in Lagos. He was arrested with six other suspects alleged to be members of a robbery gang that broke into Honda Place and stole auto spare parts valued over N23 million in June, last year.
Lagos State Police spokes woman, Ngozi Braide while parading the suspects said the following items were recovered from them; one new Samsung split 2HP air conditioner valued at N77,500; one 150 KVA power generating set valued at N3.8 Million; another 8KVA power generating set valued at N90,000 and N781,000 cash.
However, when anxious reporters asked Garba Sani to state his own
side of the story, he charged at them in high tone by asking if anyone
of them (reporters) had not committed crime in their lives.
Without showing any sign of remorse, he said the crime for which he and other suspected members of his gang were arrested for is not a serious one when compared with that committed by those in public offices in Nigeria. The confrontation went thus;
Why are you here?
I am not a robber . This is not a robbery case. It is called break and entry.
Really? How did you do it?
I was on duty when my friends came and we went inside the company, broke the doors with tetracycline gas and packed the good away.
Are the goods yours?
No, they belong to the owner of the company.
Then what do you call that?
Please I can not talk much. I have told you we are not robbers. Listen, we have a lot of criminals in Nigeria. Senators are stealing money and nobody has arrested them. We too, we need money. We are jobless , we have nothing. My salary is N12 ,000 monthly. Besides, the stolen parts have been recovered and they did not find any gun on us. So, why would anybody call that robbery?
At this point, his alleged partner in crime, 30-year-old Okwudili Godwin , in whose warehouse the goods were recovered , interrupted, saying, “ We live in the same area. He sold the idea to me and I went there and we took the goods. Nothing happened to the goods and nothing has been sold. There was also no gun. We went there around 7pm when everybody had closed.
“He called us to go and collect the goods. I took the goods to my warehouse at Ikorodu area. . But nothing was sold from it and they have all been recovered intact. The goods were stolen in July last year and they recovered it this year. We did not sell it because it is not my line. I have never gone to look out for customers to buy them. Ask the police, nothing has been sold from that goods.”
Asked what business he was into, he said, “ I am a business man. I sell parts.”
Why did you not ask Sanni what he wanted you to do with the goods when he invited you?
Rather than give straight answers, he, again charged at reporters saying, “You that is asking me, have you never committed a crime in your life before? I am asking you a question, have you not committed a crime before?. Do not ask me that question again. How much are they paying you a month that can sustain you and your family? Please do not ask me that question again. Let me tell you , we are all criminals. We are Nigerians and we have the element of criminality in us”.
At this point, it was obvious they could not take any question again. However, the suspects, according to Braide, would be charged to court for robbery.
By Evelyn Usman
…Says ‘Our case is not peculiar, Senators steal as well’
There was mild drama Monday at the premises of State Criminal Investigations Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos when a robbery suspect boldly confronted reporters as he was being paraded with his partners in crime.
The suspect, Garba Sani, 24, was a private guard attached to Honda Place, along Oshodi/Apapa expressway in Lagos. He was arrested with six other suspects alleged to be members of a robbery gang that broke into Honda Place and stole auto spare parts valued over N23 million in June, last year.
Lagos State Police spokes woman, Ngozi Braide while parading the suspects said the following items were recovered from them; one new Samsung split 2HP air conditioner valued at N77,500; one 150 KVA power generating set valued at N3.8 Million; another 8KVA power generating set valued at N90,000 and N781,000 cash.
…the suspects
Without showing any sign of remorse, he said the crime for which he and other suspected members of his gang were arrested for is not a serious one when compared with that committed by those in public offices in Nigeria. The confrontation went thus;
Why are you here?
I am not a robber . This is not a robbery case. It is called break and entry.
Really? How did you do it?
I was on duty when my friends came and we went inside the company, broke the doors with tetracycline gas and packed the good away.
Are the goods yours?
No, they belong to the owner of the company.
Then what do you call that?
Please I can not talk much. I have told you we are not robbers. Listen, we have a lot of criminals in Nigeria. Senators are stealing money and nobody has arrested them. We too, we need money. We are jobless , we have nothing. My salary is N12 ,000 monthly. Besides, the stolen parts have been recovered and they did not find any gun on us. So, why would anybody call that robbery?
At this point, his alleged partner in crime, 30-year-old Okwudili Godwin , in whose warehouse the goods were recovered , interrupted, saying, “ We live in the same area. He sold the idea to me and I went there and we took the goods. Nothing happened to the goods and nothing has been sold. There was also no gun. We went there around 7pm when everybody had closed.
“He called us to go and collect the goods. I took the goods to my warehouse at Ikorodu area. . But nothing was sold from it and they have all been recovered intact. The goods were stolen in July last year and they recovered it this year. We did not sell it because it is not my line. I have never gone to look out for customers to buy them. Ask the police, nothing has been sold from that goods.”
Asked what business he was into, he said, “ I am a business man. I sell parts.”
Why did you not ask Sanni what he wanted you to do with the goods when he invited you?
Rather than give straight answers, he, again charged at reporters saying, “You that is asking me, have you never committed a crime in your life before? I am asking you a question, have you not committed a crime before?. Do not ask me that question again. How much are they paying you a month that can sustain you and your family? Please do not ask me that question again. Let me tell you , we are all criminals. We are Nigerians and we have the element of criminality in us”.
At this point, it was obvious they could not take any question again. However, the suspects, according to Braide, would be charged to court for robbery.
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