From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Dare-devil armed robbers have invaded a private hostel occupied by female students of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Kwara State, molesting them before carting away cash and property estimated at about N2 million.
The incident occurred just as the state police command confirmed the arrest of two suspected female kidnappers, who specialised in using N50 notes to entice their victims.
The robbers, according to witnesses, stripped the ladies naked and locked them in a room occupied by male residents of the hostel after they had removed the ladies’ property.
The incident, which occurred at about 11pm, according to reports, has made the ladies and other occupants to desert the hostel, located along Bukola Bukoye Street in Oyun area of the state capital.
The hostel had about eight self-contained apartments and was mainly occupied by ladies.
The robbers were said to have scaled the fence and subsequently tampered with the choke of the two small generators that were used to supply power to two of the apartments, in order to increase the volume of noise from the sets and thereby prevent neighbours from hearing what was going on in the hostel.
Some of the items carted away by the robbers were three iPhone 7, two plasma TVs, six laptop computers, one iPad, two gold-plated waist beads, one gold-plated nose ring, and N200,000. They also reportedly went away with the ATM cards of one of the victims.
Sources in the community claimed that this was not the first time there would be a robbery at the hostel, although the current victims were yet to occupy the premises when the first incident occurred.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Federal SARS initially arrested the landlord of the hostel, following allegations that the female students had been paying about N2,000 each as monthly contributions for the provision of security for the premises without anything allegedly being done. The man was, however, released later in the day.
When newsmen visited the location yesterday, the hostel was deserted, following widespread rumours that the robbers were likely to come back.
Spokesman for the state police command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said he was unaware of the incident.
Okasanmi said: “I am not aware of that yet; the only one I can confirm is that two female suspected kidnappers were arrested at Oyun and were taken to Oke Oyi station. The women used to entice their victims, mainly children, with N50 notes, but were caught following discreet observations by residents who later raised the alarm. The case is to be transferred to the CID for more investigation.”