I was mistaken for a thief, says suspect

A 26-year-old suspect, Tunde Adewale, has been paraded by the Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Adewale was rescued by the police from an irate mob that nearly lynched him at Ijegun, a Lagos suburb.

His two other colleagues fled on motorcycle.

According to police, the suspect had been under intensive medical care because he could not talk when he was brought for investigation.

“You can see that it is the treatment that he was receiving since they transferred him that even enabled him to talk and the worse is that he is a poor liar and a stark illiterate,” a policeman said

“He was transferred here almost half dead but we were able to revive him,” the officer said.

Adewale said he is a commercial motorcyclist, adding that he was mistaken for a thief.

He said: “I was carrying two passengers at Ijegun community half way they stopped me and brought knives and cutlasses claiming to be cult boys. I became afraid and locked my motorcycle and started asking them why they stopped me here whereas they have not reached where they were going.

“As I was talking one of them snatched my motorcycle key and started the motorcycle. As he wanted to drive away with the second person I started dragging my motorcycle with them but they succeeded in overpowering me and zoomed off with my motorcycle.

“When I was crying for help, the people from the area gathered round me calling me thief, thief and before I knew it, they started beating me.

“Look at my eyes, mouth, the whole face, how I was beaten almost to death. They thought that I was dead and pushed me by the road side. Luckily policemen on patrol carried me to their station and later transferred me to SARS Scorpion House when they noticed that I was still breathing.

“I am an okada rider. I was mistaken for a thief when the two boys I was carrying snatched my motorcycle and claimed to be cult boys. I am married with a child.

“I carried two passengers from Ikotun to Ladipo side. The two passengers wanted to drop and one of them collected my okada key and I saw cutlass with them. They started my motorcycle and left pushing me aside. I was badly beaten before police picked me up. They tore my shirt before beating me. I did not know who beat me because they were many. It was after intensive medical attention in SARS that I recovered consciousness. I was brought here unconscious.

“I was beaten by people living around Kano Street, Ikotun. The irate mob was wrong for trying to lynch. I did not know the two passengers who claimed to be cult boys.”

On why none of his relations has asked after him he said: “My brother is in Osun State. I am the only one in Lagos. It happened around 1pm. I am not an armed robber. Cult boys snatched my motorcycle and ran away while people living around there gathered and started beating me telling me that those two passengers were my gang members or fellow cult boys.”