So the suspects, Akeem Jimoh and Rafiu Afolayan, protested in a Lagos court after they were convicted of breaking and stealing from a shop belonging to one Mrs Lolade Alanga at Suebatu Street Oshodi Road in Oshodi, Lagos.
Who would blame them for protesting? After all, the stigma of being labelled armed robbers is worse than that of being labelled “a mere thieves.” Not that any of those labels is desirable in any way.
The suspects, the PM Express reports, told the court that contrary to robbers who violently rob people of their possession, that they operate at night breaking into peoples’ shops to steal items, which they then sell at the market. There is certainly is logic in their argument.
Luck ran out of the duo when a security personnel at Aswani market in Lagos suspected them of carrying stolen goods. The security personnel reported them to the police since they were unable to explain how the goods came into their possession. They confessed they had broken into and stolen from Mrs Alanga’s goods worth N3m.
The suspects were soon after charged before the Isolo Magistrates court for conspiracy and stealing. They pleaded guilty. They were each sentenced to one year in imprisonment without an option of fine.
It was reportedly while they were waiting to be taken to the prison to serve their sentence that they protested in the open court that they were mere thieves and not armed robbers as referred. Touché.
