CCTV identified me, I couldn’t deny it ─ Suspect

Two suspects, Ahmed Saliu and Stanley Osadebe, are presently cooling their heels in the Lagos State Police Command cell for allegedly stealing exotic phones at the Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos.

Our correspondent gathered that 24-year-old Saliu, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State, was arrested last Saturday at about 10am in the area after he attempted to steal exotic phones from unsuspecting sellers.

It was learnt that Saliu subsequently led the state Special Anti-Robbery Squad to his regular buyer, Osadebe, who was a phones seller in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.Continue after the cut...

Saliu also told the police that Osadebe had bought seven exotic phones from him at prices ranging from N15,000 to N20,000.

Our correspondent gathered that a seller at the computer village, whose shop was earlier broken into by Saliu, identified him when he came again on Saturday.

After Saliu confessed to the traders to be the culprit, they allegedly beat him up almost to coma before a SARS operative arrived at the scene and arrested him.

Saliu told PUNCH Metro that when the seller accosted him, he could not deny the theft because he saw himself in a video, having been caught by a CCTV camera.

He said, “I used to work as a bricklayer, but I stopped the work because I didn’t get enough money. I had gone to Computer Village about two weeks ago to steal phones from that particular shop. But I did not know there was a CCTVcamera recording me.

“On Saturday when I went back to the area, the seller saw me and told me to come and watch a video. I saw myself in the video stealing the phones. I could not deny it. That was how they caught me. Although, I had changed my haircut, he still recognised me. I have stolen about seven phones from the place. I usually sold them to Stanley in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos. I sold each to him for N15,000.”

In his own confession, 30-year-old Osadebe from Awka, Anambra State said he had bought only one stolen phone from Saliu, adding that he was not aware that Saliu stole them.

He said, “I sell phones at the Iyana Ipaja market truly. However, I bought only one stolen phone from him, not seven as he claimed. I did not even know he was a thief. How could I have bought the exotic phones from him when I only sell phone accessories and china phones?”