Christopher Oji
An armed robbery suspect, has declared that crime in Ajegunle in Lagos is a normal way of life.
Akire claimed that he came to Lagos about 15 years ago as a good boy, but he was unfortunate to live in Ajegunle (AJ City), where crime is the order of the day.
The suspect disclosed this and more when operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) arrested him after a robbery and two loaded English revolver pistols were found on him.
Akire, who was described as a notorious armed robbery kingpin that had been involved in all sorts of crimes, said : “I am a criminal who has tasted all kinds of crimes. I was a petty thief before I graduated to armed robbery, but it was not my fault. Fate brought me to AJ City, where crime is a normal way of life. It was when I came to AJ city that I came to realise that crime is a culture in the place, except you don’t want to socialise. I must confess to you, even parents encourage their children to commit crime.
“It was when things became difficult for me and there was nobody to assist that I joined the bandwagon. For instance, when I begged people for as low as N10, they would tell me to join them in their hustle. I noticed that almost every guy in the area belonged to one cartel or the other. I now decided to join a cult group, but I was given the condition to procure a gun before I would be accepted. It was while I was looking for a gun that the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) arrested me. I was charged to court and remanded in prison. In prison, I met other criminals from AJ City. We formed a gang there. When we came out, we started with picking pockets, traffic robbery and burglary. Along the line, my gang members started graduating to armed robbery. I was lagging behind, because I had no gun. My mates were making jest of me. They used to scold me when we met in joints. Well, I made up my mind that I was going to grow up. So, I also acquired a gun and I was initiated into real crime, and the rest is history.
“My gang is strong and formidable. We do all sorts of crime. I am telling you all these because I want to repent. On New Year’s Day, I went to The Redeemed Christian Church to make a vow that I would no longer go into crime. There was a robbery operation that nearly got my gang into problems, so all of us ran away when we knew that the police were looking for us. Obilor, our leader ran to Dubai and I ran to Osun State. I was happy that God scattered us. So, I went to church on New Year’s Day to confess my sins, even though I did not come out when the pastor made an alter call for sinners.