23-year-old bag snatcher arrested in Lagos blames his father for robbery career.

The operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command Saturday recovered an AK-47 assault rifle from three young men in Apapa Area of Lagos State. They also arrested a 23-year old bag snatcher, Ayobami Adedeji on Friday in Alagbado during a botch operation.

Adedeji blamed his father for his plight, saying that he abandoned him after his mother's death.

The operatives, who were on routine patrol of Apapa had sighted three young men carrying a bag at around 11:00 p.m on Friday.

The officers accosted the men but the suspects on sighting officers dropped the bag and fled the scene. A check on the content of the bag revealed an AK-47. No ammunition was found in the bag.

Meanwhile, the suspected okada robber, Adedeji, was chased by the operatives on routine patrol of Kola Bus Stop, in Alagbado Area of Lagos, after snatching a hand bag around 10:00 p.m.

Adedeji, in company of an accomplice, who he referred to as Aboki, had on Monday night, operating with a motorcycle, snatched the hand bag of one Kudirat Oyebade at Kola Bus Stop.

The operatives who were close to the scene of the incident chased the motorcycle into the inner streets. One of the suspects was however arrested while the rider escaped abandoning his motor cycle.

Adedeji, who snatched the bag stated “I was a bus conductor. I went to Kotangoa market on Monday to meet Aboki about how to raise money for ourselves…. We have been together for a long time. At around 2:00 p.m. on Monday, we perfected the plan to operate together on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, but our focus were Adura and Council bus stops around Agbado areas of Lagos State. Our priorities were handbags and purses.”

“We had snatched two bags and my colleague was keeping the money before our last botched operation. This was our first time…. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t know RRS operatives were monitoring us. I snatched the bag and they chased us into the streets. My colleague escaped after abandoning his okada and I was arrested,” he continued.

He added, “I dropped out in SS1 after losing my mother. My father was just a ceremonial father. He never cared about me since the death of my mother. He never assisted me but I had to fend for myself after the death of my mother.”

The rifle has been deposited at the RRS Headquarters for further investigation while Adedeji has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti for further investigations.