Burglar: I Spend N240k Monthly On Hotel Bill

A burglar arrested by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, has disclosed that he pays N240, 000.00 monthly to service his hotel bills.

Joseph David, 20, from Ekpoma, Edo State, was arrested in Ikeja at about 4:40 a.m. after he had successfully burgled two flats in Gbajobi Street, Balogun, Ikeja, where he stole three laptops and five mobile phones.

David was on his way to the hotel (name withheld) located in Dopemu, where he has been lodging for over one month when he was intercepted by the police.

Investigations by the RRS which were later confirmed by the suspect and some of his victims revealed that there have been repeated cases of breaking in around Gbajobi Close, Balogun, Ikeja. The residents around the area have reportedly lost several valuables and cash to burglars.

David made a confessional statement to the police, saying that he has been lodging in hotels because he could not live in his parents’ house as a result of the poverty stricken condition of the environment.

He added that each night he spent in the hotel was N8, 000, noting that he has spent over a month living in the hotel.

“I was returning to the hotel when I was accosted on Awolowo Way by RRS operatives and they stopped to check my bag. They found: 1 Mac laptop; two HP laptops, two iPhone 5; one blackberry classic and two Nokia Touch phones.

“The house I broke into is a two storey building behind Jabita Hotel in Balogun, Ikeja. I scaled its fence around 3:00 a.m and I finished the operation around 4:00 a.m. I have broken into some other houses in that area before, where I stole handsets and laptops. I am into ‘yahoo yahoo’ but money has not been forthcoming like before. I could barely make N100, 000 and N50, 000 like before. That is why I used break in and steal to augment my earning”, he confessed.

He further added “I stay in the hotel with my girlfriend and a couple of friends come around. Benjamin is the only buyer that I have. I have been an embarrassment to my parents”.

According to his buyer, Benjamin Odinaka, 18, a phone repairer in Computer village, Ikeja, “I buy phones and laptops from him. I used to visit him in whatever hotel he lodged in to buy the stolen items”.

“This is the third time that I would be buying laptops and phones from him. I have bought more than seven laptops and several phones. The last time I bought a Mac laptop, an HP laptop, an iphone 5 and a Blackberry phone from him.”

One of the residents whose belongings were stolen, who simply identified himself as Daniel stated, “break in has been going on in the close for quite some times now. Daily, we hear report of burglars in houses around us. We don’t know this guy and we have not met him before”.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, the Lagos State Police Command would continue to work ceaselessly to ensure the successes recorded so far in the area of security is consolidated and improved upon.

The suspects have been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SAS) for more investigation