(Vanguard)---WHEN Ikechukwu Frances, a 25-year-old resident of Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos State, discovered that his Mercedes Benz GL 450 SUV, was stolen from the car wash where it was parked, he did not believe that he could recover it. In fact, he compared his fate to those whose vehicles were stolen and were never recovered.
But his friends who were with him when he got the news were optimistic that the vehicle could be recovered. He said: “When news of my missing vehicle got to me, I felt I had fallen victim like any other person whose vehicle had been stolen.
What actually struck me immediately was that it might have been smuggled out of the country through any of our porous borders. But my friends were optimistic that my vehicle was still within the country and the police can help us track it down.”
Following his friend’s position, a report was incidented at Ajao Estate police station and the police quickly carried out a raid at the popular car wash where the vehicle was stolen and an attendant in the company, identified as Samuel Onyekachi, was arrested.
The suspect was later transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, for proper investigation. Crime Alert gathered that operatives at SARS discovered during interrogation that the suspect and many others conspired to steal the car.
At that point, the operatives were reportedly saddled with the duty of tracking the vehicle and apprehending the suspects. The source who craved anonymity said a total of 11 suspects were eventually arrested after which the car was recovered.
He said: “When we interrogated Samuel, we discovered that one of his colleagues at the car wash stand identified as Prince Godspower, drove the missing car away. We also discovered that they were not alone in the game. While we trailed the fleeing suspects, Samuel led us to one Habbi whom we arrested.
But Habbi could not give us the exact location of Prince and the vehicle but he led us to one Uche and Abdul. We discovered that Abdul actually led Prince with the car to a buyer at Liverpool area of Apapa, Lagos. We stormed Liverpool and arrested one Yakubu and he assisted us in tracking Prince and the car. He led us to arrest one Muhammad, who eventually called Prince on the phone and we called to meet him at Liverpool where he was eventually arrested.
“After his arrest, he led us to a warehouse at Kirikiri Town where the stolen SUV car was parked and we arrested three other persons, one of them was Ismail Jubril who was a receiver of stolen vehicles. In fact, he had concluded plans to smuggle the vehicle out of the country before we arrived.”
When Crime Alert spoke with the suspects at the SARS headquarters, Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, they regretted their involvement in crime and blamed the devil for everything. They said that their intention was to sell the car and use the money to travel abroad.
Prince said: “I was really tired of the poor life I was living and was seriously trying to look for a way out. I have never had a good job that could earn me a good life and I was seriously looking for a way out. When Samuel and I started working at the car wash, Abdul and Habbi came to us and said they have ready buyers for any vehicle we could steal.
We asked them how we could possibly do that and they said all that was needed was for us to just drive away with any vehicle and contact them to get us across to the buyers. We talked about it for some time and decided it was too dangerous. We decided not to do it but rather, continue with our lives the way it is.
They sounded so convincing that their buyers were ready with money and they will pay us the instant we give them a vehicle. So, when they brought the Mercedes Benz GL 450 SUV to our car wash stand, I decided to steal it. I drove it away the moment the mechanic who brought it left our stand. And I contacted Abdul and Habbi. Abdul came to me and we both drove the vehicle to Apapa where he handed it over to one Mohammed.
Muhammad gave me N15000 and lodged me in a hotel. But I discovered that Abdul’s ready buyers were not who he said they were. I thought they had enough money to give to me, but I discovered they didn’t. While I was there, I got a call from Muhammad and I thought the buyer had paid for the vehicle. I didn’t know I was walking into the waiting hands of the police.
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