The police command in Lagos State has arrested a 29-year-old ‘Bolt’ driver, Jeremiah Adeniran, who allegedly robbed some of his passengers.
Mr Adeniran, during an interview with journalists on Friday in Ikeja, confessed that the hike in fuel price led him to robbery.
“Before, I could do 15 trips a day, but after the rise in fuel price, my business was no longer moving as I wanted, so I ventured into robbery,” he said.
According to him, his two other accomplices always stayed around on the road to carry out the robbery.
Mr Adeniran, who claimed that he had only robbed his passengers on three occasions since he started the robbery business last month, said he was arrested on Saturday when one of the victims sighted him.
“On Saturday morning, I entered a shop, and I saw the lady I picked up and robbed a day before; she instantly recognised me because I was not putting on a nose mask.
“She raised the alarm, and that was how I was arrested and taken to Ikotun police station,” he said.
The father of one said the money he and his gang made was divided into three, in which his share was N700,000.
The suspect, who claimed to be a university graduate, said if he had had a better offer, he would not have engaged in criminal activities.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, while addressing journalists, said the suspect committed the offence on July 8 at about 11:00 p.m.
He said it was discovered during the investigation that the driver picked up his victim at Governor’s Road, Ikotun, and soon alighted, pretending the car’s tyre was flattened.
“Shortly, other members of his gang surfaced and took over the steering while the driver was made to sit at the back.
“The driver later brought out a knife and robbed the lady of her money and iPhone.
“Police operatives painstakingly embarked on an investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect at BRT market Ikotun while selling the robbed items,” he said.
The image maker said the operational Toyota Camry Saloon car and knife were recovered from him.He said the investigation revealed that the suspect and his gang had been robbing people of their valuables in this manner.
According to him, efforts have been put in place to arrest other gang members and recover more of their operational arms.
