There was confusion at Old Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday, last week, as a two-man robbery gang was intercepted and arrested by commuters.
The suspected hoodlums, who gave their names as Laolu Olatunji and Hammed Mudasiru, met their waterloo shortly after snatching a telephone handset belonging to one Afolabi Tobiloba and were trying to escape with the item.
Tobiloba, an Ordinary National Diploma 2 Mechanical Engineering student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, said he ran into one of the suspects, Mudasiru, at the Old Bodija Estate on his way to the bank to withdraw his pocket money.
“I was surprised at the manner he (Mudasiru) suddenly emerged from the blues and tried to play some pranks on me,” the young man said.
Before I realised what had happened, he was already on a waiting motorcycle, which sped off immediately. He had stolen my telephone! I raised the alarm
The suspect had walked over to Tobiloba and lied to him that an item had dropped off from his hand.
Tobiloba said that he noticed that something was, indeed, missing in his pocket.
He said, “Before I realised what had happened, he was already on a waiting motorcycle, which sped off immediately. He had stolen my telephone!
“I raised the alarm; by the time the people in the neighborhood chased them (the thief and the motorcyclist), they became confused and had an accident at the busy Bodija Estate junction.”
Angry commuters rushed to the scene and descended on the two suspects, beating them to a pulp until they were covered with their blood.
But for the intervention of a traffic warden, who was on duty in the area, the hoodlums would have been killed by a mob.
The stolen telephone set was recovered and handed over to the owner, Tobiloba, while a Bajaaj motorcycle with registration number OYO YMF595UA that was recovered from the hoodlums, was taken to the Old Bodija Police Station along with the robbers.
But the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajisebutu, could not be reached on the telephone.
When further efforts were made to get confirmation from the police, this Eyewitness was asked to call the PPRO later.
Akinwale Aboluwade, Ibadan, Oyo State.
