A 16-year-old armed robber has narrated to an Akure Chief Magistrate’s court how he robbed and raped some older women in the Okitipupa council area of Ondo State.
The teenager, who said he became an armed robber after he dropped out of school in JSS 3 was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s court for conspiracy, armed robbery and rape.
He told the court how he robbed and raped his victims on November 24, 2021, at about 12:30 p.m at Sekere Camp, Okitipupa area of the state.
The State Prosecutor, Oluwasegun Akeredolu told the court that the accused person and others now at large did conspire with others to commit the offences of armed robbery and rape.
He was said to have robbed one Serifat Tijani of N15,000, while armed with a dangerous weapon.
Akeredolu said the accused person also attempted to have unlawful carnal knowledge of Tijani after he had robbed her of her money but did not succeed due to the help of people who ran to the scene to rescue her.
The prosecutor added that the accused person also broke into the house of another victim, Mewo Kolawole and stole clothes belonging to his children.
The offences contravened Sections 410, 390 (9), 6 (b), 1 (2) (a) and (b) 359, 411 and 2 (2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap RIl, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The plea of the accused person was not taken.
The accused person was not represented by any lawyer, told the court that he did not act alone but has a boss whom he delivers stolen items to anytime he goes out for robbery.
He said that he had lost his mother and two younger brothers, and since then his father has been the one taking care of him.
According to him “I dropped out from school when I finished my JSS3 examination when my father could no longer sponsor me. I became a street boy. That was how I met one brother in our camp named Ola Igbekoyi who introduced me to armed robbery.”
“I attended St Breeders primary school Lamidifa along Ode Irele Road, Ondo State. Later I was admitted into Adetola Model College, Idi Mango, Ore, in Ondo State. I left school due to financial constraints. Since then I have been involved in armed robbery,” he hinted.
He confessed that he had been stealing cocoa beans from different farms in Araromi, and was apprehended by the community people on one of the occasions.
He added that his father was fined some amount of money: a male goat, and also a lot of alcoholic drinks and he did as they demanded before they could release him.
He fingered Igbekoyi as his boss who taught him how to rob.
“He sent me to rob one woman in August, which I succeeded in by forcefully collecting N3,200 from her, and raped her while I threatened her with a matchet. I gave the money to Ola Igbekoyi, he gave me N1,200 out of the money.
“In November, I went to a farm close to my house, based on the information given to me by my boss. When I got to the farm, I met the woman and greeted her, she asked if I needed money to eat and I answered her by stretching my hand with the hope of collecting the money instead of giving me the money, she took it to her heels.
“I ran after her and she fell down and got injured. She tried to collect the cutlass from me and at the same time asked what I wanted and I told her that I needed her money and she gave me N15,000. And my boss gave me N5,000 from the money.
“I was about to rape the woman when I was arrested ”
He further stated that Igbekoyi popularly known as Sheboy was an ex-convict who lured him into the act names who to rob.
Akeredolu urged the court to adjourn the case to enable him to prepare his documents to arraign the accused in the proper court.
The presiding Magistrate, Chief Magistrate Folasade Aduroja in her ruling ordered that the accused person be remanded in the Juvenile Home.
Aduroja has adjourned the matter till February 8, 2022, for his arraignment in family court.
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