They were bought in the United States (US) and recently shipped to Lagos for onward delivery to their owner in Abuja. The 2010 Acura MDX SUV’s market value is put at N8 million, and the saloon around N6 million. Both vehicles had, however, been given away at a mere N120, 000 by nobody else but the representative of the delivery firm meant to deliver them to the former minister in Abuja.
George Bekee is his name. Indeed, the vehicles, in a 40-feet container, did get to the Lagos sea port and headed for Abuja. But between Lagos and Ota in Ogun State, the container was diverted by 32 years old Bekee and offloaded inside a thick bush in the area. Bekee is the manager of the truck company that was to deliver the consignment to Abuja.
Two weeks ago, the truck loaded with the three vehicles set out from the ports led by Bekee. While outside the ports premises, Bekee was reportedly joined by two of his friends, Ogbonna and Ejike. Within the hour, the truck found itself inside a thick forest at Sango-Ota, Ogun State. That was where the three friends met Kabiru Odunsi, a car dealer, to whom they offered to sell the three vehicles. The 2010 Acura MDX SUV Bekee agreed to sell for N2.8 million, while he gave out the sleek Honda saloon at N1.8 million.
The sale of the second SUV was still under negotiations when the bubble burst and the former Madam Minister raised alarm over the non arrival of her vehicles. Bekee, a native of Amazu-Ubakala, in Abia State asked Odunsi to give N15, 000 to the driver who drove the truck to the place, which the latter did. The two of them then negotiated and agreed on the amount for each of the vehicles. But Odunsi claimed he was not financially buoyant at that moment, hence he could only part with a paltry N120, 000.
He promised to add more to it the following week. Bekee would not leave Ota without taking any cash with him. So he collected the N120, 000 and headed to Ibafo, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where he went on a drinking spree. After waiting almost forever for her exotic wonders on the wheel, the former minister was said to have reported the incident to the police.
Six days after the report was made, the Patrol Team 2 of the Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad, Adeniji-Adele, Lagos, received security reports that the alleged kingpin was hiding around Ibafo. Thus, on Monday 20 June, 2011, the anti robbery policemen, acting after intelligence report, stormed the guest house where Bekee was lodged. They were said to have met Bekee dead drunk.
Investigations revealed that Bekee had twice been a guest of the police before on related offences. His two suspected accomplices reportedly fled the scene, though. At the FSARS, Bekee allegedly confessed to his crime and gave full details of where he sold the vehicles. Immediately, the police team headed for Odunsi’s house. In less than a week, Odunsi had had the ignition of the SUV and saloon removed and changed and had its red colour changed to metallic black.
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Odunsi posing with the Honda saloon car
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Odunsi, 37, has two wives and is a father of four kids. He is best described as car-freak. Rather than put the car on sale, Odunsi preferred to ride it himself. He immediately got a customized plate number: OLU OMO of OJU ORE. By the time the policemen arrived his 5, Alafia Street, Oju Ore, Sango-Ota, Ogun State, he was said to have already told his friends that he just took delivery of the cars from US and were meant for his personal use.
but on condition of anonymity, a member of the police team that arrested the suspects, alleged that Odunsi specialised in buying stolen cars and re-selling them to unsuspecting members of the public. The policeman also said that the owners of the vehicles had come to the station and identified them.
But Bekee told Saturday Mirror that he was not the one that ordered the diversion of the vehicles to Ota, but that he was just a victim of circumstance. “I have been a manager of trucks carrying goods from the ports to any part of the country for some times now. But on that day we loaded the truck with the three vehicles; I left them immediately and went to Ibafo to wait for them so that we could head to Abuja. One Mr. Mike claimed he is the owner of the truck.
After I had waited for them and they were nowhere to be found, I became worried. That was when my boy in the truck called me and told me that he did not understand the way the driver was behaving with the truck but the following morning, I saw the police came to arrest me,” he said. On his part, Odunsi did not deny knowing Bekee and his roles in the delivery of the three vehicles, but said that the Abia State-born told him that his brother in the US wanted the cars sold so that he (Bekee) could use the money to attend some pressing family needs.
Odunsi claimed he sought the consent of the alleged owner in the US before he called in rewires to work on the car. He continued: “It was Mr. Mike that came to me that his brother sent a container to him from America. He asked if it was true that I sell cars and I said ‘yes’. The day the container arrived at 2:00 a,m, he (Mike) said I should give the person they came with N15, 000 and that one left.
He said we should offload the container which we did at Iyana- Iyesi. When I opened the container, there were no keys there. I told Mike and he called his brother in the US and I spoke with him. His brother told me that he forgot to pack the keys inside the cars when they were loading it in the US. His brother approved that we should change the ignition of the cars. That was how we broke the ignitions of the two other vehicles.
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