Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command for
allegedly duping many people has said that he shaved his long beard
and moustache to avoid being recognised by people who know him as a
cleric.
Also arrested are other members of his gang, including 70- year-old
Alhaji Lekan Lanlegu a.k.a. Baba Toyota and 60-year-old Kolawole
Odenide.
A police source, who revealed how the three aged suspects were
arrested, said the Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Kayode Aderanti,
had got a hint that they were involved in robbery and receiving of
stolen cars. The CP promptly directed the Superintendent of Police in
charge of SARS, Mr. Abba Kyari, and his team to get the three men and
the stolen cars. SARS operatives, therefore, disguised as car
snatchers who wanted to sell a stolen car to the gang.
One of them came forward to collect the car. He had entered into
negotiation with the SARS operatives before he realised that they were
policemen. Meanwhile, Kyari and his men had cordoned off the spot and
promptly arrested the would-be receiver.
According to the Nation,Lanlegu said it was one Kolawole Odenide, who
supplied him with a stolen car. His arrest also led to the arrest of
Adeleke at a private mosque he used as an office to dupe people and
receive stolen cars. A cleric he was said to have employed to teach
people in the mosque and lead prayers was said to have scaled the
fence and ran away on sighting policemen.
Adeleke, who described himself as a native of Ade village, Ade South
Local Government Area, Osun State, said he was a transporter. He said
he built a mosque and employed an alfa (Islamic cleric) to manage
it.He said:
"I live in Iba Estate near Lagos State University (LASU) along
Badagry Road, Lagos. I am happily married with five children. I built
a storey building at Iba and a mosque which I built with N300,000. I
built the mosque to honour God and pray to him five times a day. That
was 10 years ago.
"In the year 2000, I started thinking of how to make quick money by
stealing cars. I was jobless and had no money to feed my family. The
man who lured me into car stealing died four years ago. I went to his
house to seek advice on how to survive hunger and he taught me how to
steal cars.
"He told me that he survived by stealing cars and for 10 years, I
stole cars and my poverty disappeared. We would go to a place where a
car was parked and used a screw driver to open the door. We would
dismantle the wiring and use the starter wire to start the engine.
"While he drove the stolen car, I would drive his own car behind him
to wherever he was going to sell, usually a place around Idimu, to an
old man called Fatai, who is now late. After selling it for N100,000
then, he would give me N5,000 as my own share.
"The late Fatai had a mechanic workshop, and it was there that I went
to meet him that I needed money and he told me about stealing cars.
"When Fatai died five years later, one Shina brought Kola Adeniji to
me as a partner in crime. We operated more than five times before we
were arrested. There was no gang leader between us. We were a twoman
gang and anyone could bring a job.
"Our last operation was at Oyigbo, Ebute Meta, Lagos around July this
year. We stole one Pick-Up Hylux vehicle and sold it to one Alhaji
Lekan for N700,000. I had to shave my beard in the cell to avoid
people identifying me as a cleric.
"I bought three commercial buses which ply Ijora-Obalende route, and
each of them makes N4,000 return every day except Saturday and Sunday.
I was arrested at Atede in Osun State while going to mosque." The
second suspect, Kolawole, said: "I am from Abeokuta, Ogun State. I am
a property dealer in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos. I have two wives and
seven children. I met Adeleke in Idi-Iroko, Ogun State when I was
doing smuggling. I knew him through a friend called Shina.
"I learnt about stealing cars about seven years ago. Whenever we
opened a car door, tore the starting wire and it refused to start, we
abandoned it in the belief that it had a security system. But at
times, once you start the engine, the security system becomes
useless."I was once arrested and taken to the State Criminal
Investigation Department (SCID) Panti. I was charged to court and
remanded in prison for one week. I had gone on nine operations and
stopped before I started again in January because of the economic
situation in the country."
No comments:
Post a Comment