A 23-year-old serial robbery suspect, Godwin Emmanuel, has shocked policemen in the Osun State command after robbing their colleague of his telephone set while being conveyed from the scene of his arrest to the station.
The suspect, while confessing to the theft after being caught, explained that he stole the phone from the police van and explained that he did not know it belonged to an “officer”..
“I don’t know it was a police phone. I just took it.
Emmanuel is linked to a string of armed robberies in Osun State.
He was being transported to the Osun State Police Command along with two accomplices – 28-year-old Olajide Kareem and 33-year-old Mike Emmanuel when he dispossessed the officer (names withheld) of his GSM phone.
Police said his victims included a 65-year-old woman who was robbed and assaulted in the presence of her husband along the Ilesa-Osu Expressway in Osun State.
The woman was on her way to the hospital with her husband when they were attacked.
According to Osun State Police spokesperson Yemisi Opalola, the suspects had been targeting motorists and passengers, saying., “In one such robbery, a bus driver was shot in the leg but was fortunate to receive prompt medical attention at the Seventh-day Adventist Hospital in Ile-Ife.”
Opalola further revealed that following a police operation, Olajide Kareem was apprehended in a nearby bush and confessed to being part of a five-man gang of armed robbers who had travelled from the Ikorodu area of Lagos State to carry out their criminal activities in Osun.
The other two suspects, including Godwin Emmanuel, were arrested shortly thereafter. He went on to explain that he had hidden the phone in his cell, removed the SIM card, and intended to use it to contact his family, who were unaware of his arrest for armed robbery.
“I’ve been here for two months. They came to search for me, and that’s when they found the phone. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Emmanuel added, apologizing for his actions. “Please tell them to forgive me. I won’t do it again.”
The suspects are currently in police custody while investigations continue. The case underscores the ongoing challenge of criminal activities in the region, with police working to dismantle such criminal networks that operate across state borders.
