I spend N240,000 monthly on hotel bills – Suspect

A robbery suspect who was arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of  the Lagos State Police Command, has confessed that he spent N240,000 to service his hotel bills monthly. The suspect, Joseph David, was arrested in Ikeja on Saturday at about 4.40a.m, allegedly on his way from a robbery operation. 20- old […]

A robbery suspect who was arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of  the Lagos State Police Command, has confessed that he spent N240,000 to service his hotel bills monthly.
The suspect, Joseph David, was arrested in Ikeja on Saturday at about 4.40a.m, allegedly on his way from a robbery operation.
20- old David who hailed from Ekpoma, Edo State, had allegedly burgled two flats on Gbajobi Street in the Balogun area of Ikeja, where he allegedly stole three laptops and five mobile phones.
He was on his way to his hotel room located in Dopemu, Agege area where he had been lodging when he was intercepted by the RRS operatives.
In his confessional statement to the police, David said that he had been lodging in the hotel because he could not live in his parents’ house as a result of the “poverty-stricken condition of the environment.”
He added that he paid N8,000 per night in the hotel where he had been lodging for over a month.
He said: “I was returning to the hotel when I was accosted on Awolowo Way, Ikeja by RRS operatives. They had stopped to check my bag. They found: one Mac laptop, two HP laptops, two iPhones; one Blackberry classic and two Nokia Touch phones.
"The house I broke into is a two-storey building behind Jabita Hotel in Balogun, Ikeja. I scaled its fence around 3:00a.m. I finished the operation around 4:00 a.m. I had broken into some other houses in that area before, where I stole handsets and laptops. I am into ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ but money has not been forthcoming like before. I could barely make N100,000 and N50,000 from ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ business unlike before. That is why I used break-in and stealing to augment my earnings.
"I stayed in the hotel with my girlfriend and a couple of friends come around. I pay N8,000 per day in the hotel and I have been staying there for over a month. Benjamin is the only buyer that I have. He is the one that buys the items I steal from me. I am sorry that I have been an embarrassment to my parents.”
The alleged buyer, Benjamin Odinaka, had also been arrested by the police. The 18-year old, a phone repairer at the Computer Village, Ikeja, said: “I buy laptops and phones from him. I used to visit him in whatever hotel he lodged in to buy the stolen items. The last time was the third time that I would be buying laptops and phones from him. I have bought more than seven laptops and several phones from him.”
One of the residents whose belongings were stolen by David, who identified himself simply as Daniel, stated: “Break-in has been going on in our area in Balogun, Ikeja for quite some time now. We have lost several valuables and cash to burglars and have reported severally to the police. We don’t know this guy and we have not met him before. He should be punished accordingly.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest of David and Odinaka, adding the suspects had been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SAS) for further investigation.