Benin: a dispute over how to share the loot brings down a gang of robbers in Parakou
Three young people suspected of being behind several robberies in Parakou’s second district have seen their group fall apart following an internal conflict over how the gains were shared.
The case took an unexpected turn when a financial dispute led one of them to report his two companions during his police station interview. According to initial elements of the investigation, the trio operated mainly in poorly lit areas of the second district.
After spotting their targets, they carried out the act under the threat of a machete. Their method was methodical. The three traveled on the same Bajaj-brand motorcycle, using the darkness to act quickly and disappear without attracting attention.
But as the operations continued, the group’s cohesion weakened. One of the members reproached the other two for consistently giving him the smallest share of the loot. This sense of injustice, fed during the robberies, eventually turned into a desire for revenge.
To settle scores, the suspect allegedly hatched a plan. He lured the younger brother of one of his accomplices, who was looking to sell a mobile phone, with the aim of taking the device. After the theft, his two partners quickly identified him and demanded the return of the phone. Faced with his categorical refusal, they decided to take him to the police station themselves on Friday, February 20, 2025.
Once before the authorities, the situation shifted. Contrary to expectations, the suspect gave a detailed account of the group’s activities, directly implicating his former partners. He justified the phone theft as a form of compensation for the shares he deemed unfairly distributed during the previous attacks.
The police have opened thorough investigations to establish individual responsibilities and shed light on all the facts attributed to this now-dissolved gang.
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