A Nigerian musician and a pianist have both been arrested in Lagos state for alleged robbery.
The robbery suspects, Afro hip-hop musician, Chinonso Michael, 25, and Chimelu Victory, 22, confessed that they were forced into robbery by the need to survive the COVID–19 lockdown hunger after they were arrested by the Lagos Police Command.
The two suspects were arrested on Wednesday June 10, 2020 along with 5 other suspects at their residence at 4, Modupe Young Thomas Estate, Ajah.
According to reports, on 10th April, 2020, they ordered an iPhone 11 Pro Max valued at N450,000 on pay on delivery, through an online platform from their hideout in Ajah.
On receipt of the consignment from a delivery man, Chimelu generated a fake alert and later, with the connivance of Chinonso, escaped from the apartment after they had tied down the despatch rider with a bottle of beer.
The suspects then sold the phone to a buyer in Ogba, Ikeja, for a sum of N350,000 transferred into Chinoso’s bank account.
The suspects – who jumped off from the first floor to the ground naked – on sighting the police, confessed that was the third time they sold iPhone 11 Pro Max during the COVID–19 lockdown.
In their confessions, Chinonso and Chimelo, who are regular performers in some Lagos night clubs, attributed their actions to the lockdown, stressing that they had nothing to eat for almost two weeks.
“We were already owing all the store owners in the neighbourhood. Nobody was ready to give us credit anymore. We had to device a means to survive the lockdown”, they stated.
Chimelu, aka Apostle Swag, who recently resigned as a Lekki church keyboardist to pursuit a career in music, stated that he used to have regular shows in Lagos clubs before the lockdown.
The suspects confessed that apart from their musical careers, they also engage in internet fraud.
