Posted by By Astro Jewoola on
The Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Force CID Annex, Adeniji-Adele Street, Lagos Island, last week, arrested members of a syndicate that includes an ‘Arabic tutor' and two others that specialise in snatching expensive cars and buses in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.
The Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Force CID Annex, Adeniji-Adele Street, Lagos Island, last week, arrested members of a syndicate that includes an ‘Arabic tutor' and two others that specialise in snatching expensive cars and buses in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.
Members of the syndicate that were arrested in Ogbomoso are Olalekan Jeremiah, 45; Wahab Ibrahim Ariyo, a.k.a. Woli Danwo, 56; Iraoja Olalekan, 33 and Gbenga Samson Ijaola (a.k.a. Marshal).
Fifty-eight-year old Gbade Ezekiel, who is now at large, has been declared wanted by the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police. He is said to have once been an Ogbomoso traditional chief, but was dethroned on account of his alleged criminal activities.
According to a police source at the Adeniji-Adele Annex, office of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, the police received a petition regarding a stolen passenger Toyota Coaster bus, which had been re-registered as AG-820-JBL. It was based on this petition and other useful tips that the police acted.
'Lekan was arrested in his hideout in Ogbomoso, Osun State, and during interrogation, he gave us useful information that led to the other suspects, and they too were arrested."
Lekan and other suspects' alleged confessional statements led to the recovery of the stolen Toyota Coaster bus from the premises of Wahab Ibraheem Ariyo. Ariyo is popularly referred to as Woli Danwo Islamic Group.
Police investigations also revealed that the stolen bus' registration number had been altered, while fake customs documents had been procured to enable them re-register the bus as AG-820-JBL.
However, the chasis and engine numbers were still the same. The vehicle's engine number is 2166420 and its chasis number is REB 500002494.
The police source told Mid-Week Crime-Watch that, Samson Gbenga (a.k.a Marshal) was suspected to have sold the bus to Ariyo in Ogbomoso for N1.2 million.
The police source also disclosed that a prominent member of the Osun State House of Assembly was allegedly fingered in the shady business of car-snatching in the state. Efforts are still on to signal the Osun State Police Command for possible assistance to question the lawmaker over his alleged involvement. The suspects have been arraigned at the Magistrate's Court 1, Tapa Street, Lagos Island, on a three-count charge.
In the charge number Q/39/2008, the suspects were charged with conspiracy, stealing to wit: felony. The offences are punishable under section 316,390,460 cap 17 volume 2 Laws of the State 2003.