Boy, 13, confesses: I keep guns for armed robbers

A 13-year-old boy simply identified as Solomon has revealed to the police in Lagos how he kept different calibres of automatic guns for various armed robbery gangs operating within and outside Lagos Island. The suspect was rescued by law enforcement agents and arrested when he and some street urchins were almost lynched by some traders […]

A 13-year-old boy simply identified as Solomon has revealed to the police in Lagos how he kept different calibres of automatic guns for various armed robbery gangs operating within and outside Lagos Island.
The suspect was rescued by law enforcement agents and arrested when he and some street urchins were almost lynched by some traders after they had broken into some shops at Apongbon on the Island and stolen goods goods worth millions.

The young boy was resued from the mob by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) who were on duty in the area at the time of the incident.
In his confessional statement to the police, Solomon said he was born in the Apongbon market and grew up to become a criminal. He added that he was forced into stealing because his parents abandoned him.
He said: “I was born in Apongbon market. My father and mother were traders in the market but they didn’t cater for me. I roamed about to eat and fend for myself. About 40 of us, children, sleep together in the shops at night. We wake up early to leave the shops before people start coming in for business.
“Sometime last year while I was playing football with other children, some men from Jankara area called me and gave me a gun. They said I should help them keep the gun. They also called one of my friends, Daniel, and gave him guns to keep. We hid the guns inside our clothes.
“There was a day that they took us to Agege to rob. Daniel and I kept the guns they used for the robbery operation that day. They had taken us to other places to rob too. They don’t give us anything. They threaten us with guns that they will kill us if we don’t go with them. I don’t rob people with gun. I only carry it and hide it for them.
“My parents are presently in Idumota market but they don’t care about me. I live in Apongbon market with other children whose parents have also abandoned.. Sometimes, we sleep inside toilets; other times, we sleep in the open.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, who confirmed the arrest of Solomon, said the police are worried over the involvement of minors in crime in the state. He urged parents and guardians to keep close watch on thier children and wards.
“The growing rate at which minors are getting involved in gangsterism is worrisome. These children from age 13 to 18 are getting involved in cultism and other forms of violent crime. Parents and guardians should keep watch over their children and monitor their movements,” he said.