Robber shoots self while fleeing from scene

The Oyo State Police Command on Tuesday paraded

two armed robbery suspects who were caught after

one of them accidentally shot himself in the lap.

Idowu Peters, who is from Edo State, Segun Babalola

and another man who is at large, had robbed a

house on Rafiu Adetola Street, Aromolaran in the

Agugu area of Ibadan on November 8.

They succeeded in stealing a laptop, mobile

telephones and jewellery from their victims at gun

point.

However, Peters was said to have shot himself in the

lap with a locally-made pistol used in the robbery. It

was said he was putting the gun in his pocket when

it accidentally fired. He was abandoned by his

accomplices who also took the gun from him.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed

Ndabawa, added that Babalola was arrested when he

attempted to use the gun to rob a motorcyclist along

Sawmill area of Ibadan.

He said, "He was caught while trying to rob a

motorcyclist two days after he escaped from a

robbery scene in Ibadan. We are looking for the

third member."

Peters told our correspondent that he was arrested

when a policeman saw him in a pool of blood, adding

that he bought the gun for the purpose of the

robbery.

"While trying to escape the robbery scene, the gun I

was holding went off and hit my lap. I fell and waited

until the following morning in a bush. But while

limping off in the morning, a policeman saw that my

trousers were stained with blood and arrested me. I

bought the gun in Ijagba, Edo State for N16,000. The

seller gave me bullets too," he said.

His partner, Segun, said he was trying to come up

with a way to help Peters when he was caught with

the gun.

"We left him somewhere around the scene of the

robbery after he was injured. In the morning, I went

to airport area in Ibadan to find solution to his

problem but somehow, I was caught by the police. I

think someone must have given then information

about me," he said.