A 35-year-old man, Michael (surname withheld), was recently arrested by the Oluyole Security Surveillance Team (OSST) and vigilance group in Ibadan, Oyo State, after he invaded the home of his mother’s friend, Mrs Foluke (surname withheld) at Papa Eleye Community in the Olomi area and attempted to rob her.
However, the alarm raised by the woman alerted neighbours who pursued and apprehended the suspect.
Confirming the arrest of the suspect, the OSST commandant, Olusegun Idowu, told Saturday Tribune that members of his team were alerted to the robbery attempt and promptly went to the area to apprehend the suspect.
Exhibits found with Michael included a sharp large knife, mask and gloves.
The 62-year-old woman, who almost turned victim, narrated her experience thus: “Michael is my friend’s son. It had been quite some time I saw him, and his parents had already disowned him. He came from Lagos State to Ibadan during Yuletide in 2023. Days before he came to my house, he greeted when he saw me.
“Three days after, I saw him again. He asked about my children and I told him they were not around. After exchanging pleasantries with me, he waved me goodbye.
“On the night of the attack, at about 9pm, I heard someone knocking, and when I asked who it was, I heard Michael’s voice. As I opened one side of the double front door, he quickly slipped in, with his face covered with a black mask.
“He held my neck tightly with his hands and started dragging me into the sitting room. I struggled to extricate myself and when I eventually succeeded, I raised the alarm. He quickly ran but was pursued and caught by my neighbours. We took him to his parents’ house and his elder brother expressed so much disappointment.”
One of the neighbours who pursued Michael disclosed that the suspect was also shouting ‘thief, thief’ as he was running away, pretending that he was also pursuing the culprit.
“I hid and when he came out again, I pulled his head cover to get him. The next thing he did was to pull out a knife to stab me. However, I gave him a kick in his legs and he fell. That was how others rounded him up,” the man, who craved anonymity, stated.
In an interview, Michael, who claimed he hailed from Edo State, confessed to what he was accused of. According to him, “I went to the house of my mother’s friend to rob her. I went with a knife and covered my face with a mask. I knocked and she opened the door. Immediately I stepped in, I held her neck. I wanted to collect money from her. I wore two shirts for the operation so that I would dispose of one after the robbery operation.”
When asked why he initially denied committing the crime, he said: “It was because I was afraid. I knew I did a wrong thing.”
It was learnt that the vigilante team took the suspect and the exhibits to Sanyo Police Station, from where he was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, for further investigation.
Saturday Tribune gathered that he had been arraigned and remanded in prison, while his case was adjourned until March 12, 2024.
