We were forced into robbery by hunger during lockdown – Suspects

Two entertainers, a musician and a pianist, who the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command arrested for alleged robbery, have told interrogators they were forced into robbery by the need to survive hunger caused by the COVID-19 lockdown. The suspects, identified as Micheal Chinonso, 25, who claimed to be an upcoming Afro […]

Two entertainers, a musician and a pianist, who the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command arrested for alleged robbery, have told interrogators they were forced into robbery by the need to survive hunger caused by the COVID-19 lockdown.

The suspects, identified as Micheal Chinonso, 25, who claimed to be an upcoming Afro hip-hop singer, and Victory Chimelu, 22, were arrested last Wednesday in company of five other suspects at their residence at 4, Modupe Young Thomas Estate, Ajah, Lagos.

It was learnt that the two suspects on April 10, 2020 ordered, through Jiji.com, an online platform and by pay-on-delivery, an iPhone 11 Pro Max valued at N450,000.

It was also learnt that on receipt of the consignment from Anifowoshe Itunu, who was the platform’s delivery man,  the supposed buyer, Chinonso generated a fake alert to the rider first, and thereafter with the connivance of Chimelu, escaped from the apartment after they had tied down the despatch rider.

The suspects were alleged to have then sold the iPhone 11 Pro Max to a buyer in Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, at the sum of N350,000, which was transferred into Chinonso’s bank account.

The police said that the suspects confessed that, that would be the third time they would be selling an iPhone 11 Pro Max during the COVID-19 lockdown, adding that the suspects said they bought two of the phones online with stolen credit cards.

Our reporter gathered that Chinonso attempted to escape when he was being arrested by jumping naked from their residence’s storey building to hard ground and running through streets, but was arrested and taken to the hospital, as he bruised his chin when he landed.

In their confessions, Chinonso and Chimelu, who claimed to be regular performers in some Lagos night clubs, attributed their actions to hunger arising from the COVID-19 lockdown.

“During the lockdown, we didn’t have anything to eat for about two weeks. We were already owing all the store owners in the neighbourhood. Nobody was ready to give us credit anymore. We had to devise a means to survive the lockdown,” they stated.

The suspects confessed that apart from their musical careers, they also engaged in internet fraud.

Exhibits allegedly recovered from the suspects included one iPhone 11 Pro Max, three laptops, two flash drives, two WiFi connection modems, two memory cards, four SIM cards, one Samsung phone and one iPhone.

Commenting on the development, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu,  said that the internet was a fertile ground for opportunities but the State Command would not allow criminals use it as an avenue to exploit legitimate business owners.