They were specialized in turning off Generators at mid nights to gain quick entry into people houses when the owners came out to check the cause of the power cut. Mean while, one of the suspect, Mr Isaac Ogbonna, a 26 years old blamed his resort to crime on his inability to raise money for his ailing sister’s medical bills.
He lamented that his business folded as a result of the economic recession
“I could not stand and watch my elder sister die. I have been living with her since I came back from Enugu, after my business folded up.
“She has been sick and I had donated blood twice, yet the sickness persisted. At first we brought in a nurse who treated her and collected N9,000. But there was no improvement. We had to take her to the hospital where we were told to deposit N20,000.
“I approached one of my friends, Ishola Dede, (pointing to his partner in crime), who assured me that he would help me raise the money because my sister had once shown him kindness.
“He introduced me to two other persons, Ishola and Sadiq, at a drinking joint. Our plan was to attack any house that still has its power generating set on after midnight.
“Last Monday, we stormed a house at Ogolonto; we jumped the fence and put off the power generating set. A man came out with a torch light to inspect what was wrong and we pointed a gun at him and followed him into his apartment.
“We collected laptops, phones and N80,000. As we were about leaving, Sadiq requested for the car keys, but we told him to forget about it since it was not part of the plan.
“Our plan was to raid about 10 houses. But he insisted and went away with the car, saying the amount would cover what we would get in 10 houses.
“Next day, he told us to meet at a hotel and that he had sold the car, unknown to us policemen had traced the car through the tracking device.
“Unfortunately, I was told this morning, after I was arrested, that my sister died a day before. All my efforts have been in vain.”
