Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Police in Ogun State have arrested two suspected armed robbers who specialised in spraying powdery pepper on their victims in order to dispossess them of their motorcycles otherwise known as okada.
The suspects, Olatunbosun Ogunleye, and Titilope Fadimu were equally alleged to have raped female students of the Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State, after robbing them of their valuables.
Ogunleye and Fadimu, who were paraded alongside other 12 suspects whose crimes included car snatching, cultism, and armed robbery among others, at the state Police Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, on Thursday, were said to have stormed the residence of the students, robbed them of their belongings and subsequently raped them.
Briefing journalists during the parade, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, explained that the two robbery suspects were notorious motorcycle snatchers who used to spray powdery pepper on unsuspecting commercial motorcyclists and rob them of their motorcycles.
According to the PPRO, the suspects would flag down a bike rider to take them a predetermined place and midway they would trick the rider to stop his bike and then pour the pepper in his face and rob him of his motorcycle.
“These suspects who are specialised in snatching motorcycles from riders using powdery pepper, will pretend to be passengers and stop anybody who is riding a nice motorcycle. And when they get to an isolated place, they will sprinkle the pepper in their victims’ eyes and from there they will disposes the owners of their bikes,” Oyeyemi stated.
Meanwhile, the two robbery suspects denied the allegation of rape leveled against them by the police, saying that they were just robbers who specialised in motorcycle snatching.
One of the suspects, Ogunleye, said he and his accomplice started to steal motorcycles because somebody stole his own motorcycle.
“We are not rapists and we didn’t go to rape any students, we only steal motorcycle,” Ogunleye said.