By Willy Okonji
A 23-year-old armed robbery suspect, Godwin Emmanuel, has confessed to stealing a police officer’s phone while being transported in a patrol van to the Osun State Police Command.
The suspect, along with two others, Olajide Kareem (28) and Emmanuel Mike (33), had been arrested for allegedly robbing motorists and passengers along the Ilesa-Osu Expressway.
Parading the suspects on Friday, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, revealed details of their crimes. “The three suspects rob motorists and passengers of their belongings. In one of the incidents, a bus driver was shot in his leg but was rushed to Seventh-day Adventist Hospital in Ile-Ife, where he received treatment,” she said.
She added that Kareem was apprehended in the bush shortly after one of the robberies and confessed to being part of a five-man gang from Ikorodu, Lagos State. The arrests of the other two suspects followed soon after.
In a shocking twist, Emmanuel admitted to stealing the phone of a police officer during his transport to Osogbo. Speaking to journalists, he said, “I was arrested for armed robbery. While being taken to the police command in a patrol van, I stole a phone. I didn’t know it belonged to a policeman. I beg them not to be angry with me.”
He continued, “I took the phone into the police cell without them knowing. I removed the SIM card because I wanted to use the phone to call my family—they didn’t know I’d been arrested. Later, the police searched me in the cell and found the phone on me. Please, tell them to forgive me. I won’t do it again.”
The police command stated that investigations are ongoing and emphasized its commitment to curbing criminal activities in the state.
