The case of Godwin Emmanuel, a 23-year-old armed robbery suspect, has taken a surprising twist after his confession to stealing a police officer’s phone while being transported to the Osun State Police Command in a patrol van.
Emmanuel, along with two other suspects, Olajide Kareem (28) and Emmanuel Mike (33), was initially apprehended for allegedly robbing residents along the Ilesa-Osu Expressway.
According to reports, the trio had been targeting unsuspecting victims in the area, causing significant distress among local residents. After their arrest, they were being transported to the police command when Emmanuel reportedly committed the audacious act of stealing a phone belonging to one of the officers in the patrol vehicle.
Parading the suspects on Friday, the spokesperson of the state Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, disclosed that, “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 subsequently rushed to Seventh-day Adventist Hospital in Ile-Ife where he received treatment.
“Consequently, Olajide was arrested in the bush and he confessed that he was a member of a five-man gang of armed robbers who came from the Ikorodu area in Lagos state to perpetrate their acts in Osun State. The other two suspects were arrested.”
Speaking with journalists, Emmanuel said, “I was arrested for armed robbery. When I was been transported to the Police Command in Osogbo, inside the police patrol van that I was conveyed, I stole a phone. I don’t know that it is a police phone. I beg please don’t vex.
“I told the police not to be angry with me. I don’t know when I did that. I took the phone into the police cell without them knowing. I removed the SIM card, I want to use the phone to call my family because they don’t know I have been arrested for armed robbery.
“I have been here for about two months. They later came to search me in the cell where I was and discovered the phone on me. Please tell them to forgive me. I won’t do it again.”
