This Man Arrived in Lagos on Monday, Became an Armed Robber on Tuesday and Was Arrested on Wednesday [+3 Photos]

In Edo State, his music fans loved his voice and his customers loved his barbing expertise yet, he came to Lagos, became an armed robber and was caught the next day

Given some time coupled with a serious effort towards honing his musical talent, he might have gradually risen to become a celebrity or even be successful enough to rub shoulders with the likes of 2 Face, D’ danj, P-Square and many other Nigerian artistes who have paid their dues in the Nigerian music industry.

This is however not the case for a certain Aliakwe Aliu. Rather that toil now and enjoy the fruits of his labour in the near future, he decided to take a short cut. Unfortunately, for him, the only place his short cut has landed him is police custody.

Barely 21 years old, Aliu, a resident of Auchi in Edo State is a singer and a barber. He arrived in Lagos in search of what could be rightly described as a devilishly inspired greener pasture. In the company of a more experienced armed robber, he stole a commercial motorcycle at gun point but was arrested few minutes after the incident. Unfortunately for him, while he was caught, his accomplice escaped.

Confessing his misdeeds to Simply Samad, he told his tragic story.

The Auchi born youngster revealed that his woes began the day he met his accomplice, Ismaila who is still at large. “I’m from Auchi in Edo State. I’m 21 years old. I attended a Community secondary school in Auchi. I was a barber in Benin. I had this customer who was also a friend. Besides barbing, I also sing for a living. I attend shows. Ismaila told me he was resident in Lagos. He offered to bring to Lagos and introduce me to some of his friends whom he said were Ajegunle artistes. He said they would help me such that I would perform more frequently at shows.”

With a wife named Cynthia and a two-year-old child christened Gift, Aliu hoped his sojourn to Lagos would make him a more responsible husband and father.

“Before I followed him, I informed some of my relatives. He gave my wife and son N500 each while leaving. He also said it would be wise for me to come to Lagos to do conductor work for a while. He assured me that I would be earning more than I was earning in Benin as a barber. He said this would further help my musical career as I would have more money to work with. I followed him to Lagos and I was surprised when he took me to a certain carpenter’s shop and later, a cobbler’s shop. That was where we spent the night. He didn’t take me to his house.”

The next day, Ismaila told him it was time to go to a show. “When we got to a certain place, Ismaila began pacing back and forth. There was a motorcyclist defecating in a nearby bush and Ismaila suddenly told me that we would have to use the man’s motorcycle. When the cyclist was through and was on the verge of starting his motorcycle, I saw Ismaila bring out a gun. He faced the Okada man and dispossessed him of the bike. He simply asked me to come and join him on the bike. I did but I was scared. I kept saying ‘Ismaila; Ismaila, Ismaila…’ He had a real gun. I don’t know the name of the gun but I know it was real enough to kill a man.”

Unknown to them, the victim had raised an alarm and some mobile policemen on duty promptly swung into action. “Everything happened so fast. As we were escaping, I suddenly saw mobile policemen in a car asking us to pull over. They kept yelling at us to park the bike. When Ismaila refused to stop the bike, they did something that will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life. They rammed the bike with their vehicle. The motorcyclist whom Ismaila snatched the bike from must have alerted the police. There were two mobile policemen inside the car and they hit the bike so hard that I just was knocked off the bike. It was so bad that my leg fractured instantly. I heard it break. Ismaila just kept screaming: ‘Wetin happen? Wetin happen?’ Till today, I can’t say how it happened but Ismaila escaped. I couldn’t run for two reasons. I wouldn’t know where to run to because I’m a total stranger in Lagos. Secondly, I had a broken leg. I didn’t know Ismaila was an armed robber.”

Still claiming that he was only a spectator of the robbery, Simply Samad asked him why he went ahead to hop on the bike with Ismaila. “I didn’t know where else to go. I’m new in Lagos and I wouldn’t know where to go. Moreover, I didn’t have transport fare. He didn’t tell me where we were going with the stolen motorcycle. I just followed him like a foolish man. I regret ever meeting him.”

He however relives how he began singing and barbing. “I’m not my father’s only child. I’m the second child. My brothers are Oshoke, Agbona, Osilama and Lucky. After my secondary school education, I learnt how to barb and also started singing. I finished secondary school in 2005. I’ve only worked for six months. I don’t make much but I survive. Sometimes I make between N500 and N600 everyday and I work everyday.”

The inspiration to sing as Aliu claimed came from the Plantation Boyz but unlike Faze, 2 Face and Black Face, he became a tool in the hands of the Devil. “I sing Ragga but I don’t have an album. I was hoping I would make enough money in Lagos to wax an album. One of my songs is called ‘Christian Boy.’ It’s a reminder for people not to get involved with the wrong crowd or bad minded people. There’s another one called ‘Pretty Girl.’ It’s about admiration. I have others I composed. At shows where I perform, sometimes, they spray me with money but not all the time. I always wanted to sing. I’ve always adored the likes of Tu Face, Black Face, Faze and Ajegunle artistes. Ismaila had promised to help me. He always came from UNIBEN. I’ve never killed or robbed before.”

Weeping shamelessly, he appealed to the police to give him one last chance to set things right. “Nobody knows I’m in police custody right now. I want the police to help me by informing my family. The police have collected the number of my elder brother and I’m hoping they’ll come. Cell has been like Hell Fire. I never imagined myself being there. There’s nowhere to sleep. I never expected this. Ah! (Crying) If they leave me, I’ll just go back to home and continue my barbing job.”

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Source: Simply SAMAD ARCHIVE