I Robbed To Get My Friend Out From Prison - Suspect

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  People who knew 25-year-old Nayon Alaka, believed he was a mere bus conductor until he was arrested for drug smuggling by the Lagos State Police Command. Police said that Alaka used to smuggle Indian hemp from Benin Republic to Nigeria.
  
  He was charged to court and remanded in Badagry Prison. It was in prison he met and became friends with Abudu aka Ijoba. In the course of interactions, Abudu told Alaka that he had already been granted bail; the only problem was that none of his family members knew his whereabouts and thus, nobody had come for his bail.
  
  When Alaka was eventually released, Abudu begged him to trace his wife and junior brother, called Hakeem.
  
  Alaka located Abudu’s wife and brother. He told them Abudu was waiting for them in prison, to bail him. Hakeem said it was an impossible task. According to him, he and Abudu’s wife didn’t have a dime, let alone money to bail Abudu.
  
  It was at that point that Hakeem made a proposition to Alaka. He told Alaka that the only way forward was for them to go on one last robbery operation. Hakeem said the operation would yield money to bring Abudu out of prison. Hakeem handed him a gun and told him it belonged to Abudu.
  
  The operation witnessed the arrest of Alaka. Alaka said that the operation would have been a child’s play, but for the unexpected behavior of a woman, whom the gang members tried to rob. Alaka said they were three that went on the operation at Badagry area on November 22, 2016. He said: “I was a bus conductor until I started dealing in hard drugs.
  
  I was later arrested by policemen from Seme Border. I was remanded in prison, where I met Abudu. It was Abudu’s brother, Hakeem that gave me the gun for the robbery operation that led to my arrest. I was arrested, while Hakeem and his friend, who followed us to the operation, escaped.
  
  They escaped because they knew the land marks of the community.” Recollecting how he met and became friend with Abudu, Alaka said: “We became friends. When I was leaving prison, Abudu begged me to tell his brother, Hakeem and his wife, to come and bail him.

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• They didn’t know that Abudu was in prison. When I told Hakeem and Abudu’s wife, the woman left immediately for Badagry prison, to look for her husband.” Alaka said: “Hakeem begged me to join him in an operation, so that we could raise money for Abudu’s bail.
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  I accepted to join in the robbery operation out of pity. On the day of the operation, Hakeem handed me a gun.
  
  We went to Badagry. We were three on a motorbike. I was the one riding. Hakeem knows the woman we planned to rob. He was the one that snatched her bag. The woman immediately held unto me.
  
  I brought out a gun and threatened her; but she wasn’t scared. Hakeem and his friend ran away, leaving me with the woman. I didn’t try to shoot her because I didn’t know how to use a gun.” When he realised the woman was not ready to let go, he punched her.