by Rachel Ogbu

A 22-year-old man arrested for pickpocketing has revealed that he made about N10, 000 daily from his art before he was arrested in Lagos.

Terry Umuokoro who said he works alone was arrested last week at a hotel along Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Lagos.

“I pick pockets for a living, I am not a robber. I started in January 2013 because I had no job after completing my secondary school education.”

He said he never went out with a school bag to create the appearance of a university undergraduate and then he took a lot of buses because it was easier to pick the pockets of unsuspecting passengers especially their money and phones.

“I only steal Nokia phones because you can sell them easily. I steal about three phones daily and have a buyer at Boundary bus stop in Ajegunle. I give him the phones and get paid in return. I make about N10, 000 daily,” he said.

According to reports, business was so good that he reportedly moved out of his family home to the hotel at Ojo road where a room goes at a rate of N5, 000 daily.

The Punch reports:

Also in custody are five others, suspected to have taken part in a robbery operation at Senator Muse Road, Apapa in June 2013.

The other suspects, Desmond Ozore, Solomon Mibien, Nelson Mbabie, Jamiu Adigun and Akeem Apejoye, were initially arrested at the same hotel by the Victoria Garden City Police Post after a Blackberry Bold 5 which was stolen from a resident at Senator Muse road, was found with Ozore’s girlfriend.

On June 4 2013, two buildings were robbed on Senator Muse Road and valuables such as BlackBerrys, laptops and money were allegedly taken by the armed robbers.

One of the stolen phones was traced to Ozore’s girlfriend who claimed that he had given her the phone.

Ozore said, “I am not a robber, none of my friends are. We are all into internet fraud. We stayed in the hotel because we need uninterrupted electricity.

“I bought the phone for N26,000 from Mibien. I never knew it was stolen.”

Mibien denied being part of the robbery gang and claimed he also bought the phone from another friend who is currently at large.

There was no response from the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ngozi Braide. She did not respond to calls or text messages to her phone.