Man Claims He Joined Robbery To Pay Son’s Hospital Bill

A suspected robber in the custody of the Abia State Police Command identified as Uche Udoma has confessed that he went into robbery to raise money to pay his son’s hospital bill.

The man, who claimed to be a car panel beater, said he had stayed without any job to do for a long time, adding that when he needed money to restore his son’s health, he had no option but rob.

He said, “I’m a car panel beater and I have not done any job for some time now, even when my son became sick and was hospitalised and I needed some money to pay his bill.

“That was what led me into stealing. I broke into my neighbour’s house and stole her Plasma television, but I was caught in the act and the television set was collected back from me.”

It was gathered that operatives of the Anti-kidnapping Unit attached to the Umuahia Central Police Station arrested the suspect while responding to a distress call from one Dr. Chioma Okoli, whose house was burgled by the suspect at Amakama Housing Estate in Umuahia.

Items recovered from the suspect include one Plasma television among other house hold effects.

Other suspected armed robbers arrested by the police are one Chibuke Uzodinma and Odinaka Nnamani who reportedly robbed one Elizabeth Ogbonna of her Horizon Blackberry phone at gunpoint.

The suspects also allegedly robbed one Ogechi Uzodinma of her Samsung K4 phone valued at N60,000 and another HTC phone valued at N40,000 and other valuables.

Police say the suspects were arrested with the complainants’ phones, and that they have confessed to the crime, while efforts to arrest other members of the gang have been intensified.