BENIN CITY – The police in Benin have apprehended a 44-year-old son of a lawyer and three others over alleged involvement in several armed robberies in Edo State.
The suspect, Victor Adigue son of late barrister Bisi Adigue was alleged to be a notorious armed robber specialized in snatching ladies phones and handbags at night.
He was said to have robbed many girls at Upper Sokponba area of the state capital.
Confessing to the crime, Victor Adigue stated that as a son of a lawyer he knows the implications of armed robbery blaming joblessness for his action.
“I know the implications of armed robbery because my father was a lawyer.
“What I do when I am broke is just to enter the street at night look for ladies with expensive phones, handbags, threaten and obtain them.
“I was coming from Delta State where I went to see my family when police arrested me after I called my friend, Michael John, unknown to me he was already in police net.” Victor Adigue stated.
He revealed that he spent over four years in prison when he was arrested for similar crime in 2004 as he regained freedom when a former Chief Judge of Edo State granted him pardon during his visit to prisons.
Victor Adigue who claimed to be a singer preparing to wax his album titled “Crime is a disease, desist from it” lamented ever going back to crime after his sad experience inside prison.
He said to have met his friend Michael John in the prison as two of them have never collaborated in crime.
The other suspect, Michael John, 40, from Anambra State admitted snatching two cars in separate robbery operations he executed with others now at large, along Benin-Okhahen road, Edo State.
He said he was arrested and remanded in Okoh prison in 2005 for armed robbery as he regained freedom two years later when his family begged the complainant to withdraw the case.
“This time around I was in my house when intelligent officers came and picked me.
“I don’t know how they did their job. I don’t know what pushed me back to robbery after suffering in prison.
“I am married with a child, my wife will feel very bad”. Michael John sobbed.
The suspect further revealed that he was about moving to final year as a Mechanical Engineering student in UNIBEN when he dropped out owing to cult-related issues and the death of his father, few years ago.
The two other members of the gang paraded as criminal receivers were Oscar Obi, 48, and Abuchi Okoye, 45.
The Commissioner of Police in Edo State Mr Haliru Gwandu said their arrest was a result of tip off and discreet investigation.
He advised youths to look away from crime as no criminals and their collaborators would go scot free under his watch as Edo State Commissioner of Police.
CP Gwandu stated that the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation.
