The suspect, who led a three-man gang to rob a lady at a night club, claimed that his desperation to make ends meet led him into the criminal act.
He cited the increase in the pump price of petrol and the removal of fuel subsidy as the main factors that pushed him into robbery.
In a shocking revelation, Jeremiah, an accounting graduate from a university in the Republic of Benin, disclosed that he initially resorted to driving a Bolt car-hailing service to make a living due to the lack of job opportunities.
He managed to sustain himself financially until the fuel subsidy was removed, causing fuel prices to skyrocket beyond his means.
"Things became hard and unbearable for me," Jeremiah lamented. In search of a better livelihood, he joined another company called Rider, but the continuous increase in fuel prices left him struggling to make ends meet, living from hand to mouth.
Faced with financial hardship and desperation, he made a fateful decision to turn to armed robbery. Jeremiah recruited some of his friends who posed as passengers, and together they executed their criminal operations.
When he picked up unsuspecting passengers, Jeremiah would drive them to a secluded location and create a ruse, pretending to have a flat tire. His accomplices, armed and ready, would then order him and the victims to the back of the vehicle.
Recounting their modus operandi, Jeremiah admitted that if the victims resisted, he and his gang members would use force to subdue them. Their criminal activities commenced one month prior to his arrest, and they had managed to amass a staggering sum of N2.1 million. The money was divided among the gang members, with each receiving N700,000.
Expensive phones and personal belongings were the main targets during their robbery operations. The suspects, taking advantage of vulnerable situations, would snatch valuables from their victims and disappear into the night.
The arrest of Adeniran Jeremiah came about on July 17, 2023, after a lady booked a ride from Ikotun, only to fall prey to the gang's criminal activities, losing money and other belongings.
The Lagos State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Idowu Owohunwa, expressed the determination of the police force to bring criminals like Jeremiah to justice.
The incident serves as a cautionary reminder of how economic hardships can sometimes lead individuals down the wrong path. The authorities call for vigilance and collaborative efforts to maintain safety and security within the society.