The long arms  of the law have caught up with a four-man car snatching syndicate, whose operation had become a great cause of concern to residents of Ilorin in Kwara State. The gang members were arrested by men of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad, Adeniji Adele, Lagos.

Crime and Security gathered that the police were investigating the recovery of a stolen car, when one of the suspects opened a can of worms on the series of atrocities committed by the gang. The policemen also allegedly recovered some state-of-the-art vehicles from the bandits.

The commissioner for police in charge of the Federal SARS Lagos, Jubril Adeniji, while speaking on the arrest of the gang stated “the suspects were arrested by a team of policemen attached to the Anti- Robbery  Squad of the Annex.” The police boss informed  that the suspects had confessed of their involvement in the ignoble act.

The suspects were Shina Tajudeen, Johnson Abiodun, Feyisayo Olufemi and Muhammed Kalejaiye. He also added that 10 vehicles including: Toyota and Honda SUV, Chevrolet BMW and trucks were recovered from the suspects.

The police chief alleged that the suspects usually sold stolen vehicles to their accomplices who were spread across the country. He also stated that car spare parts, vehicle number plates, car keys, live arms and ammunition were also recovered from the syndicate.

A major receiver of the stolen vehicle Shina Tajudeen, 45 years, an  indigene of Kwara State, while speaking with Crime and Security admitted to being the receiver of the vehicles. The father of four also confessed knowing that the vehicles were stolen.

Shina, while giving an insight into his foray into armed robbery,   blamed his involvement in the heinous  crime on the downturn in his business. The suspect who claimed to be a local cloth weaver popularly called Aso Oke in Ilorin said: “I tried to do something else to eke a living when people were no longer patronising the business.”

The  suspect however claimed that he was introduced into the business by some of his friends, who had been in car business in Abuja . Shina also claimed that when things became unbearable for him, he contacted one Alhaji Akeem and a certain Elewu, who were both his secondary school mates. In his words, “Alhaji Akeem introduced me to the business” which he claimed that he started the business in September, 2007. The suspect also confessed that, “I knew that those vehicles were stolen, but yet I buy them and give to Alhaji Akeem and Elewu, who resided in Abuja.”

Shina stated that he had only made N650,000  from all the vehicles he received from the robbers. He, however claimed that he received  “just four from the syndicate that facilitated his arrest.”

26-year-old Johnson Abiodun also an indigene of Ilorin in Kwara State told Crime and Security that greed  led him to snatching a Honda end of discussion. Abiodun, while explaining the modus operandi of the gang stated that their victims were usually coerced with arms and ammunition, with which the gang operated.

Another member of the gang, Feyisayo Oluwafemi while speaking with Crime and Security also confessed to being a member of the gang. The suspect, who claimed to be working at a sawmill, before things got worse for him, stated that he was arrested at an eatery around Agbo Oba area of Ilorin by detectives from Federal SARS. Olufemi also blamed the death of his father, whom he described as his sponsor, for his involvement in armed robbery.

The suspect however rattled Crime and Security when he claimed that “before leaving for alway operation, I pray  to God to protect me and bring me back home safely.” Oluwafemi, when  asked on the number of casualties he had in the course of his sojourn in armed robbery, claimed that he has never killed anybody and that he only gave the vehicles to Shina Tajudeen.

Muhammed Kalejaiye , the youngest  member of the gang, a 22-year-old boy also claimed that he never went  on operation without praying since he was a devoted Muslim. He said that he was arrested while returning from a naming ceremony.

Jubril Adeniji, the Officer in charge of Federal SARS, Adeniji Adele stated that the police would ensure a thorough investigation into the activities of the suspects and ensured that other members of the gang were arrested  and prosecuted.