Dismissed police officer, 1 other arrested for vandalizing man-hole (photo)

Read the press statement below...

In a renewed effort to rid Lagos State  of criminals, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad yesterday arrested a dismissed police officer  and  one other person for  vanfalizing and stealing man - hole cover. The suspect, Earnest Young (30),, who co incidentally is a son of a retired Deputy Superintendentbof Police was arrested  with his accomplice, Rasheed Tiamiyu, (20), on Eko Bridge around 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Young hails from Yala Local Government in Cross Rivers. He was arrested in possession of man – hole covers  , vandalized and stolen on the  Eko Bridge.

Young stated that, he and his accomplice trekked from Ijora Under Bridge to Eko Bridge to steal the man hole cover. He added that they were in search of food when they saw the man – hole cover, which they planned to sell to cart pushers.

He explained that his accomplice, Rasheed Tiamiyu, a primary school dropout invited him into the crime, a claim Tiamiyu promptly denied, stressing that, ‘Young, rather, was the one who invited him into the crime.

‘He insisted " we steal the cover even when I protested that we leave it and that was why the cover was found in his hand. The entire plan was all his idea’, ".

Tiamiyu maintained that "despite the fact that cover was very heavy, Young insisted in stealing it with the plan to resell it to scrap metal buyers the following day" .

‘Both of us work as load carriers in Ijora. We sleep in Ijora park. We had no money to feed ourselves and he requested that go to a party in Isale Eko, and that on our way we would pick up the man – hole cover to sell to cart pushers’, Tiamiyu added.

Tiamiyu further stated that, he came from Plateau to Lagos in search of work but since he came to Lagos, he has been homeless and struggling to survive as well as living in parks and under bridges.

Confirming the arrest of the suspects, the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Olatunji Disu noted that the actions of the suspects posed a great danger to road users, adding that uncovered man – hole can cause accident, particularly at night.

He also advised parents to monitor the activities of their wards, warning that Lagos would not be a breeding ground for criminals.

The suspects have been charged to court.