A seven-time convict, Emmanuel Oyewunmi, has been arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stealing from a driver and a passenger.
The 41-year-old, who was arrested at the Ojodu Berger bus stop on Friday, had earlier been declared wanted by the RRS for allegedly stealing the phone of one Mrs. Adesewa Oni in the Alausa area of the state.
It was learnt that the Ikale, Ondo State indigene, was a park keeper outside the Ikeja Shopping Mall, when Oni drove in to attend a ceremony at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium.
For watching over her car, Oni, instead of giving the suspect the N200 he requested, decided to drive him to a nearby ATM, where she withdrew money and paid him N1,000.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Oyewunmi, had, however, stolen the victim’s phone while she was withdrawing cash from the ATM.
Oni reportedly noticed that her phone was stolen after leaving the area.
She said, “I had driven five minutes away from Ikeja when I felt the urge to make some calls. It was then I realised that my Samsung Galaxy S4 was missing. Quickly, my mind went to him and I realised my folly. How could I have left a total stranger in my car alone, leaving documents and valuable items in the car with him? I traced him back to that spot, but he was gone.”
Oni said she reported to the RRS, which then launched a manhunt for the suspect.
Oyewunmi, however, ran out of luck when he was arrested on Friday after stealing N600 and a phone from a bus driver and a passenger in the Ojodu Berger area.
Upon interrogation, he reportedly admitted to stealing Oni’s phone, saying he committed the crime when she left him in the car to withdraw money from the ATM.
He blamed his stealing habit on his addiction to hard drugs, adding that he had been rejected by his wife and parent due to the problem.
He said, “As soon as I got the woman’s phone, I went to Ipodo in Ikeja to get hard drugs. The hard drugs dealer bought the phone from me at N8,000.
“Hard drugs have destroyed my life. They were the cause of my rejection by my wife and my father. I got hooked on drugs while I was young and getting out of the addiction has been extremely difficult for me.
“Some faith-based non-governmental organisations have assisted me through rehabilitation in the past. I have, however, always gone back to the habit. Drug has been the predominant cause of my imprisonment. If I am imprisoned now, it will be my eighth time and third time this year.”
Oyewunmi also admitted to stealing from the bus driver and passenger, saying he was under the influence of drug.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest, urging Lagosians not to expose themselves to criminals.
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