By Kemi Olatunde

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Luck ran out on a robber, simply known as Sunday when he was almost lynched by an irate mob as he was caught after snatching a bag containing valuables from a female passer-by in Ijapo estate, Akure in the early hours of Monday.

Vehicles and motorcycles parked along the road between both the first and second Ijapo estate gates and a crowd attracted by the ruckus had gathered. To an onlooker, what would first come to mind was that an accident had occurred going by the number of motorcycles parked at the scene.

However, a motorcyclist told The Hope that a woman was robbed of her bag. He wondered how a robber would be bold enough to rob in broad daylight when traffic was so busy.

The Okada rider who simply gave his name as Bayo said; “A woman was just passing when a man snatched her bag and entered into the bush. I stopped because she started shouting. So many people alighted from their vehicles to help her out. We must catch him.

“Many okada riders have been killed in Akure along the expressway and their motorcycles stolen. We must deal with this man today. He will take the punishment for other thieves who have killed our members. Many of our union members have been robbed of their motorcycles while others killed and their families were thrown into hardship due to the death of their breadwinners. I was almost a victim a few days ago if not for God’s grace.”

Also at the scene, a civil servant, Mrs Bode Adesola said that it is laziness and wickedness to hurt another person, noting that the government should ensure that robbers are dealt with and not released.

She said; “It is true that the economy is hard but that doesn’t justify stealing. We are all rushing to work, only to be confronted by this scenario. I stopped my vehicle because I thought it was an accident scene. How can this thief be this heartless? How dare he rob a woman striving to make ends meet? I am dumbfounded at this. I am sure that the poor woman’s God has vindicated her. With her look, she may not have eaten breakfast, the thief just wanted to increase her suffering. If this thief is caught and handed over to security agencies, the law should be made to take its course. He should not be released so that he can learn his lessons”.

A 49-year-old mechanic who refused to reveal his identity said; “This one is a hardened criminal if not, how would he rob a woman in the broad daylight on a busy road? He has been in this act for a long but nemesis has caught up with him. He has reached a dead end.  Thieves should not be pitied because, when they are in operation at night, they don’t hesitate to kill, molest, and inflict suffering on their victims. I will be happy if he is caught and this is what has played out today. Even though he is yet to be caught, the people are waiting to see what becomes of the situation.”

A trader who gave her name as Mummy Peace said that thieves sometimes pose as mad men along the area, adding “I am always scared of walking on this lane because most times, I see a mad man here. I do cross to the other lane which is clear.”

For a while, efforts to find him as the owner of the bag kept weeping was fruitless as the robber hid in the bush which had taken over the setback along the road. Soon, an unidentified civil defence official who was on his way to work came along.

After interviewing the victim about the exact location of the robbery, he went into the shrub and in a few minutes brought him out from the bush where he hid.

This excited the crowd and they pounced on him as he was pushed out of his hiding place. They slapped him and hit him with sticks on different parts of his body. All entreaties by the security personnel to desist fell on deaf ears until he had to fire his gun into the air to scare the mob.

The security personnel when asked by The Hope how he was able to bring him out, said that he followed his footprints starting from his entrance into the bush.

The victim, Mrs Biola Ajayi while speaking said that she was robbed while rushing down to work.

Her words; “I clean people’s houses and this morning I was rushing to one of my customers’ place when the thief snatched my bag and ran inside the bush. While I was returning from work yesterday (Sunday), the thief saw me as I was on a phone call when I passed this same spot. I was calling with a big phone then. Thank God I didn’t come out today with that phone but the small one. He was not the only one, others probably ran away when they saw people who were willing to help me.”

Although, the security personnel tried to prevent the mob from attacking the robber, they still had their way until a good Samaritan volunteered to take the robber to the station while the security personnel rode on his motorcycle.

The Hope gathered from the security personnel that Sunday, an indigene of Benue State, operated around the scene of the incident alongside other members of a group to steal from innocent passers-by.