A physically challenged beggar has apprehended a suspected thief, who stole his friend’s hand bag containing mobile phones and N50, 000.00 cash at Seme, a border town between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
The beggar, identified as Salisu Kaduna, said he saw the alleged thief as he stealthily went to where his friend, Adamu Mohammed, had earlier kept his bag and quickly stole the items and cash from it.
He is a thief. I saw him when he stole the bag. But before he could escape, I held him. He wanted to escape from my grip, but he could not. He thought that he could beat me. He threatened me. Later, he began to beg. I shouted and people came to assist me
The crippled beggar said, “He is a thief. I saw him when he stole the bag. But before he could escape, I held him. He wanted to escape from my grip, but he could not. He thought that he could beat me. He threatened me. Later, he began to beg. I shouted and people came to assist me. They beat him seriously and that’s why he was bleeding. We wanted to hand him over to the police, but we could not because he had suffered in the hands of people already.”
The owner of the bag, Mohammed, said he was lucky not to have lost his phone and money to the suspected thief.
He said, “If not for my friend who saw the thief, he would have escaped with my bag containing N50, 000 and my handset. I just bought the handset for N35, 000. I never knew that the thief was watching me as I was hiding the bag inside a basket. I’m very lucky.
“I did not know that even my friend, Kaduna, was also watching over my bag for me. I thank God. There are many thieves in Seme now. People beat him mercilessly and so, there was no need to take him to the police. If I take him to the police station, I will be spending my money to punish him.
I said they should allow him to
go.”
