By Vera Chinonso Aliyu, YeyeNews.com, December 12, 2021
A member of robbery gang was alleged to had slept off during a robbery operation inside a supermarket in the Kubwa area of Abuja as a result of an overdose of Tramadol. Tramadol is a prescription drug which is commonly abused by many youths in Nigeria. Eyewitnesses at the scene told YeyeNews.com that other members of the gang scampered away leaving their colleagues fast asleep on the supermarket floor when passersby raised alarm about the robbery.
“His gang members tried to carry him away but they couldn’t because of his huge size. So they left him and ran away. Someone joked that he chewed five tablets of tramadol before the operation and that his gang members warned him but he didn’t heed. The local vigilantes has managed to wheel him away to the nearby police station. He was still fast asleep when the vigilantes took him away”, an eyewitness narrated.
The manager of the supermarket said the robbers gained access into the store individual and blended in with other shoppers before they started their operation. He narrated that: “four young men walked into the supermarket at around 3:30pm. One of them was behaving strangely like he was sleepwalking. I told a security guard to put an eye on him but we didn’t know they had a sinister motive. Suddenly, the sleepy one pulled out a ‘cut-to-size’ locally made single barrel gun and ordered everyone to lie face down. The others then jumped in wielding knives and axes. It was a terrible experience for everyone. They collected the personal belongings of the customers and emptied our drawers of the day’s sales. But after few minutes we observed the one with the gun leaning against a wall. That’s when the others panicked. They tried to wake him up but he was already fast asleep. So his gang members took his gun and escaped through the back before the vigilantes arrived”.
When YeyeNews.com reporter spoke with the leader of the local vigilante group about the incident, he confirmed that the suspect had been handed over to the police for further investigation. He further advised the youths to desist from abusing drugs. “It is true that we met the suspect sleeping on the floor of the supermarket. If we haven’t gotten there early he probably would have been burnt in his sleep by the rampaging mob. This is what abusing tramadol does to people. That is how a guy who was suppose to be a goalkeeper watched the ball rolled slowly into his net during a local football match because he was high on tramadol. I urge our youths to desist from drug abuse. It has no benefits but will negatively affect their health in the medium to long term”, the vigilante leader pleaded.
