One Kingsley Ibe, who was arrested by the police in Niger State for alleged robbery, has denied the crime, saying he was being coerced by the police to make a confessional statement.
Northern City News learnt that the 25-year-old, who lives in Gwazuma, in the Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, was arrested by the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad on the allegation that he connived with other hoodlums to rob one Yusuf Isah of Gauraka, Sabo-Wuse council.
The police claimed that Ibe and his gang members carted away Gauraka’s properties including a 49-inch LG television, a 32-inch Panasonic television, four wrist watches, one Techno handset, one Samsung galaxy S3 handset, one Infinix Note 4 phone, jewelry, one Jingcheng motorcycle and N200,000 cash.
But Ibe vehemently denied being a robber, saying he would rather die than admit to a crime he did not commit, insisting that the police knew the real culprits but refused to go after them.
“I don’t know why police are keeping me here. I am not an armed robber and they cannot force me to be one. It is better I die for the offence I committed than to die for what I know nothing about. “I am not a thief and cannot admit to what I knew nothing about. The motorcycle they accused me of stealing was not stolen by me, the police knew where it was coming from,” Ibe said.
He told Punch correspondent that it was because he had no one to speak for him that the police were plotting to implicate him.
But the police spokesperson in the state, Comfort Olawumi, said the suspect was sighted by the complainant’s sibling, Usman Ithado, with the stolen motorcycle, adding that he was given a chase before he was apprehended by police operatives.
She added that the police recovered the motorcycle from the suspect, noting that he would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.
