By Ben Ogbemudia
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested notorious car snatchers in Abuja. They specialise in removing cars from where they are parked. Parading them before journalists, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Sunday Babaji, said on October 6 police operatives from the command’s Anti-violence crime section of the CID, acting on credible intelligence, arrested a 25-year-old Saliu James around the Nyanya axis of the FCT.
He added that the suspect confessed to sending one Umar Hamza to buy him a gun and investigation revealed that man was arrested and is in police custody. The FCT Police boss, however, said James confessed that the reason for getting the gun was to enable him rob people of their vehicles at gunpoint.
He said he stole a Toyota Camry pencil light and sold it to a 41-year-old Samuel Emmanuel, who specialises in receiving stolen vehicles and reselling them to innocent members of the public. In another development, police operatives from the Antiviolence crime section arrested a 40-year-old Yusuf Isa, a resident of Keffi in Nasarawa State for removing a car from where it was parked in Zuba axis of the FCT and selling it to Samuel Emmanuel a resident of Garaku Nasarawa State, a receiver of stolen vehicles.
Isa confessed to stealing various cars at different locations of the FCT and Nasarawa State respectively. Some of the cars recovered included: Two Toyota Carina E Saloon and Two Honda CRV. Further investigations, according to police, led to the arrest of a 68-year-old Abdulateef Abolade in Osun State, who specialises in fabricating keys being used to steal vehicles.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects are two locally made pistols, five vehicles, and fabricated master keys. The suspects will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Also, according to Babaji, the police, attached to the Command’s anti-car theft section of the CID, acting on a tip-off, arrested a 45-year-old Brown Ojibo on September 24, 2021, along the Dei-Dei axis of the FCT.
Brown, the command said, specialises in selling hard drugs and buying stolen vehicles. He, however, met his waterloo after buying a stolen vehicle from his friend Ogboni.
Exhibits recovered from him were a Honda Accord (aka evil spirit) and a Toyota Corolla. The suspect, the command said, would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Also, policemen from Central Police Station, Abuja “on October 12, 2021, arrested a 28-year-old Abubakar Shettima, who confessed to being a specialist in opening peoples’ cars at parking lots and carting away their valuables such as laptops, tablets, and bags.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect has other members of his syndicate who patronise him.
According to police sources, he used to sell them to a 28-year-old Adekoye Anthony and a 26-year-old Yusuf Isa, who in turn would sell some of the products as scrap and parts to the public.
Osinbajo presides over virtual FEC meeting
Exhibits recovered from them included: 61 HP Laptops, four Toshiba laptops, five Dell laptops, four Lenovo laptops, a projector, one apple Mac book, and parts of computers.
The suspects confessed to the crime and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
