A suspected bank robber, one Aitlabor Gelebele, who was arrested with explosives by the Ogun State Police Command, has denied being a bank robber but a fisherman.
According to police authorities, Gelebele and three others, one Moses Demene, Friday Saborom and Mohammadu Kaidiri, were arrested while planning to rob a bank in the Ijebu Ode area of the state.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Finance and Administration, Celestine Okoye, confirmed that the suspected robbers were arrested last month with four explosive devices and connection wires.
Okoye said that the bank robbers usually use explosive devices to blast bank security doors.
However, Gelebele denied any knowledge of the robbery operation, explaining that the explosives were used for fishing in Delta State before Demene called him, and that he was ready to pay N150, 000 for the devices.
However, while being paraded at the Command, Gelebele said he normally use the explosives for fishing by putting the explosives in the water and then connect them to wires.
“When the explosives go off, they shock the fish to death and I catch them,” the suspect added.
On the contrary, in his own reaction, Demene who identified himself as the leader of the gang said he was aware of a robbery plan on a bank in Ijebu Ode and had to call Gelebele who was in possession of the explosives.
He said they were on their way to meet the leader of the gang after alighting from a bus in Delta State when a commercial motorcycle rider suspected them and invited the police.
The police boss, however, said all the suspects were coming from Delta State to meet another leader of the gang simply identified as Wisdom who was planning the robbery operation.
Okoye added that the case was still under investigation and the suspects would be charged to court at the appropriate time.
According to Okoye, “Information was received by policemen on patrol at Ayepe town that a gang had been seen with bags and on getting the information, they were intercepted by the team.
“When they were searched, four explosive devices with three connection wires were recovered from them. The suspects confessed that they were coming from Delta State to meet their gang leader named Wisdom in Ogun State, now at large, to rob,” Okoye added.
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