Two men who allegedly specialised in the snatching of vehicles in Akure, Ondo state capital, alongside a member of an armed robbery gang, were Tuesday, arrested by the Ondo State Police Command. The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Mike Ogbodu, parading the suspects at the state headquarters of the command, said the command was on trail of the fleeing members of the gang while the suspects would soon be charged to court.
Ogbodu gave the names of the suspects as Muhammad Bello, Akinde Ayo and Moses Olayemi.
The commissioner said, “Bello was arrested during a robbery operation on Benin-Ore-Ijebu Ode expressway where two of his 10-man gang were killed by the police while other members ran away.
“Ayo and Olayemi are members of a car-snatching syndicate responsible for stealing different vehicles in Akure and its environs for the past few months before they were arrested by the men of the command.
“Among other weapons, some of the items recovered from the suspects are eight cars, two locally-made rifle cartridges and cutlasses,” the Commissioner added.
Confessing before newsmen, Olayemi said he had stolen no fewer than 11 cars since he began the operation early this year, explaining that he used to sell a stolen car for as cheap as between N80, 000 and N140, 000.
Olayemi also added that after the car had been stolen, they would change its number plate, and some parts of the vehicle before it would be sold to another person.
“We sell any jeep that we steal for N140, 000, while we sell cars, whether new or old, for N80, 000. When we steal cars, we will remove their number plates. We will also change some parts of the vehicle so that the owner would not identify it when he sees it,” Olayemi added.
He said other members of his gang were yet to be arrested as they fled the town on getting reports that he had been arrested by the police
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