A 26-year-old building engineer, Benedict Otanwa, has told operatives of the Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) that he took to crime after President Buhari came to power.
According to him, he joined crime after his company lost a contract because of Buhari’s economic policy.
The loss of the contract led to many workers in the company being relieved of their duties. He said that he was part of the workers affected in the company’s downsizing.
The police said: “The suspects Otanwa, Okopi and Ijiga are all natives in of Benue State. They were arrested by operatives of the IRT in Nassarawa for coordinating several robberies, which include the robbery of a popular pharmacy and snatching of a Toyota Sienna car in Yanya.”
He explained that he was already married before the sack and couldn’t provide for his family anymore. He was troubled. He soon became friendly with a man called, IG.
He revealed his situation to IG, who gave him money on different occasions. One day, IG told Otanwa that he was going to introduce him to a business that would be fetching him good money.
Otanwa would later realise that the business was robbery. In the first operation, two members of his church went with them.
He said: “I’m a building engineer. I joined robbery after I was sacked by the company where I was working in Abuja. Our company lost a contract after President Buhari came to power. I was already married; I could no longer provide for my family.
Unfortunately I met one guy, IG and told him about my predicament. He gave me some money. After a while, IG asked me to join him in his business. I asked what it was and he said I should meet him at a junction close to my house.”
When Otanwa got to the junction, he met IG and another man called Oteh. Otanwa said that two members of his church, Sunday and Monday, were also there. Otanwa said: “We moved out. IG showed us a pharmacy.
He said we should rob it. On our way, we saw a Toyota Sienna. IG and Oteh, who had guns with them, went and snatched it from the owner. We later sold it. I was given N5,000 after the vehicle was sold. Honestly, it was poverty that pushed me into this.”
Sadly, the law doesn’t know poverty. He’s on his way to prison.
