Lagos — "I met my friend, Vincent two weeks ago at Alpha Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos, and he introduced himself as a big boy with Zain GSM Company. He also claimed to have clouts in blue chip companies in Lagos and promised to get me a driving job with fat salary. But soon I ended up joining his robbery gang," lamented Abiodun Olabisi, 26, from Ibadan, Oyo State, over his role in an alleged robbery case.

His gang members are said to include Philip Emeka, Francis Okechukwu and Mustapha Alausa, all, currently guests of police detectives attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja.

Daily Independent learnt that they are being probed in connection with the theft of two posh cars in Lagos that were recovered in Bauchi.

It was further gathered that the recovery of one of the cars, a Range Rover Jeep was made possible by police detectives attached to Maroko Divisional Police Headquarters, due to tracking security devices installed in it. Police sources added that the detectives with the aide of the tracking device were able to trail the car to Bauchi where the Range Rover Jeep was recovered from its receiver, one Ibrahim Dan Abe who had gone to wash it at a car wash shop.

Following his arrest, he told the detectives that he bought the Range Rover from an automobile dealer, Philip Emeka based in Jalingo, Taraba State capital. His alleged confession was said to have led to the arrest of Phillip, Francis Okechukwu and Abiodun Olabisi.

The Range Rover and a HRV Honda jeep were said to have been stolen in a mysterious circumstance, from a home of an industrialist at his UPDC Estate, Lekki, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to Olabisi, "I received a phone call from Vincent on Sunday, May 30, 2010, and he asked me to meet him somewhere in Lekki the following day, Monday, very early in the morning. I kept to the appointment and met him at a spot in Lekki and we went to a home, which he claimed belonged to his uncle. When we got there, we met only the housemaid. He had a free access to the place and he told me his uncle who owned the home had travelled with his wife to Europe since January. He went into the inner room and brought out two vehicle keys. He gave me one of the keys, while he had the other on him. He opened the door of the Range Rover Jeep, while he pointed at a HRV Honda Jeep for me to mount. We took off until we got to Berger area of Ojodu where we had a stopover and he procured papers for the two vehicles. He had already briefed me that we were taking the vehicles to Abuja. We filled the tanks of the vehicles on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. When we got to Abuja, the person he had thought would take possession of the two vehicles was away from home and we were compelled to sleep inside the jeeps. While in Abuja, I told Vincent that I had a friend who would be interested in the two vehicles and I sought his consent and he accepted. I called Dauda, who is an automobile mechanic based in Ibadan, Oyo State. He had a friend, one Emeka who used to repair his car in his workshop. Dauda accepted and called his friend, Emeka, who was then in Makurdi, Benue State.

Emeka told us that he could only express an interest if we could produce customs papers and Bill of Lading, which Vincent claimed he had for the two vehicles. Emeka asked if we could drive the two vehicles to his hotel room in Makurdi and we did not hesitate and promised to meet him the following day. We met him and before us he called one Francis who he claimed is an automobile dealer based in Jalingo. We stayed in the hotel till the following day, when Francis came to meet us. He went through the papers and he was convinced that they were genuine. But he told us he did not have much on him but promised to call a friend, one Alhaji Ibrahim Dan Abe, a businessman and a politician in Bauchi. He called the politician and the man asked us to drive the vehicles to Jos, Plateau State capital where he would assess them. He did not adduce any reason we should meet him in Jos instead of his Bauchi base. We met him on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, with the two vehicles but he expressed interest on the Range Rover Jeep, which he said he would buy at N5 million. The other vehicle, HRV Honda Jeep, he said, was old-fashioned and not marketable. He told us he did not have cash on the spot but promised to issue us a cheque of N1.5million, N50,000 and a Toyota Solara Saloon car in exchange worth the value of N5million. We agreed and went back to Makurdi. The following day, Thursday, June 3, when the cheque was to mature, Francis and I went to the bank to cash it across the counter but unknown to us detectives had laid ambush for us and we were apprehended. From there, we took the detectives to our hotel room in Makurdi. Philip Emeka was picked up, while Vincent was not available when we called," narrated the commercial bus driver.

Emeka, 42, who hails from Awka, Anambra State, and a dealer in generating sets at Alaba International Market, Lagos, was said to have initially denied any involvement but later admitted arranging buyers for the vehicle.

He said he expressed concern when he received a phone call from Abiodun on how he got his telephone number, until he convinced him that he got it from his friend, Dauda, his mechanic based in Ibadan.

According to him, "When he called me, I asked what I could do to assist him. He told me his elder brother, who is an importer had just brought in some vehicles and would want me to get in touch with my friends who are rich that could buy them. I asked him if the vehicles were genuine and he admitted they were. By that time, I was in Makurdi where I had gone to supply generating sets to some individuals who had contracted me. I asked them to come down to my hotel room in Makurdi and they came with the two vehicles. I called Francis and he came down to assess them. Francis contacted one Ilu who knew Alhaji Ibrahim Dan Abe. It was this same Ilu who assessed the Range Rover Jeep, and was excited and also arranged on behalf of the Alhaji to buy the vehicle. I was arrested because the vehicles were stolen and I have been cooperating with the detectives in their investigations. It was also because Dan Abe (alias Seriki Fulani) wants to protect his name because of his political ambition in Bauchi State that he cooperated and assisted the detectives in arresting us," he narrated.

Okechukwu, 30, from Urua in Anambra State, corroborated the confession of Emeka, saying the mere production of the Customs papers and Bill of Lading covering the two vehicles, convinced him on their genuineness.

Giving an account of his involvement, he claimed that it was because the Alhaji suspected a foul play shortly after he had bought the Range Rover Jeep, that he contacted the police.

Mustapha Alausa, 50, the fourth suspect, a driver to the victim, Mrs. Jumoke Ademowo, denied his involvement in the matter.

According to him, he had driven his master in the Range Rover Jeep (Sports Utility Vehicle) to Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, on Monday, May 24, 2010, at about 9a.m. while on her way to Europe, and dropped the key with the housemaid, Rosemary, and went home. He added that he received a phone call the following day, Tuesday, from two private security men from Halogen Guards who were attached to the home and told him they found a vehicle key on the floor outside the gate.

"I thought may be the housemaid forgot to keep the key and instead dropped it outside. I went to the estate and collected the key from the security men and returned to my home at Itedo, Lekki. On Monday, May 31, 2020, when my master returned home she called and told me she could not find their two vehicles, the Range Rover Jeep and the HRV Honda where they were used to be at the parking lot. The following day, I was arrested alongside three others and kept in cell at Maroko Police Station. On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, my madam's husband came to my rescue and bailed me and I resumed work on Friday, June 4, 2010. It was the same day I resumed work that I was re-arrested and thrown back into the cell at Maroko Police Station. I want to say here that, I did not know anything about this matter and this is my tenth year of working with madam," narrated the father of four.

Frank Mba, Lagos State Police Command spokesman, who paraded the four suspects before newsmen at his Oduduwa office in Ikeja on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, disclosed that the detectives were trailing three other suspects still at large.

He said that the Commissioner of Police (CP), Marvel Akpoyibo has directed that the suspects be handed over to the detectives attached to SARS for further investigations into the matter.

Mba, a Superintendent of Police (SP), urged car owners to secure their vehicles with modern security tracking systems.