CONFESSION: How Greed Turned Us Into Robbers – Three Friends Arrested For Armed Robbery

My God, had I known …” This was the lament of three friends while recounting what they call “greed” led them into armed robbery.
The suspects – Nsidiuwem Akpan, (24), Nsikak Akpan (26) and Friday Otu (26) were said to be terrorising Isolo, a Lagos suburb, and environ before they were arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Police said they were caught while planning to rob a business man.
Akpan, who resides with Nsikak at 4, Pako Dustbin Street in Orege-Ajegunle, Lagos, said he was a worker at the Flour Mills Plc, Apapa, on N18,000 monthly salary.
He said: “I was introduced to armed robbery by my friends, Nsikak and Friday. I sat in my house when they walked in and told me they had a gun which they picked at Lawanson near Boundary. Henry, a co-worker at the Flour Mills, organised the robbery in January, but he was not involved in the operation at Alakija near Brewery. I borrowed a locally made gun from an old friend, while Nsikak carried the gun he picked at Lawanson. We snatched N800,000 from our victim. Nsikak shared the money. He gave us N150,000 each and gave Aminu, the motorbike rider who took us for the operation, N50,000. Nsikak rented an AK 47 which we used for our second operation with N200,000 and I used my money to buy a gold necklace worth N67,000 with a pendant, which cost N26,000. I used the balance to feed.”
Nsikak the gang’s “leader,” blamed his association with bad friends for his involvement in armed robbery, saying: “I was selling shoes which I was bringing in from Cotonou, Benin Republic. I lived in the same house with my friends at Ajegunle. I was going out one Friday when I saw a gun on the ground around Boundary area in Ajegunle, but my friends encouraged me to keep it. The first operation was successful. It was in the second operation that I carried a rented AK47 rifle.”
Otu, who said greed led him into robbery, explained: “I went with them for the first operation and I was given N150, 000 which I used to treat myself of a terrible sickness. I was not in possession of any gun but I was always on the look-out for any intruder. I was arrested by the police during the second operation at Isolo. We wanted to rob a business man of N18million, but the police caught us while planning our operation. I regret joining the gang. I allowed greed to lead me into crime. I pray for forgiveness.”