TRACKING >>Operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS have foiled attempt by a Sudanese to abscond with his Indian boss’s 2014 Honda CRV jeep , in Lagos Island, resulting in the suspect’s arrest and recovery of the jeep.
The suspect, Mohammed Adamu , 24, had dropped off his boss, Mr Ashiok Primilani, at a restaurant on Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, on July 19, 2019, at about 8.30pm. He drove off in the vehicle having informed his boss that he was going to eat around Eko hotel only to call later, informing his boss that the jeep had been stolen.
Shocked at the report, the Indian national reported the matter at the Victoria Island Police division, consequent upon which Adamu was arrested and transferred to the SARS, Lagos State Police Command, for further investigation.
Lies
While at the Victoria Island division, the suspect as gathered, told detectives that he gave his boss’s house help, Comfort Ovat, the spare key, three days before the car was stolen, maintaining that he knew nothing about the stolen jeep. He told detectives that the house keeper could have given the spare key to her husband, who could have carried out the theft.
Ovat and her husband, were arrested and interrogated but both denied culpability.
At the SARS, Crime Guard reliably gathered that Ovat and her husband were brought before Adamu for further interrogation. All through the process, Ovat was said to have cried and swore with everything under the sun, not to have a hand in the stolen car. She was said to have knelt down before the Sudanese driver and passionately begged him to say the truth and exonerate her and her husband from the crime.
Surprise
At this point, Crime Guard was informed that Adamu bent his head and mumbled, “they are innocent”. Detectives were said to have asked him to repeat what he said and he opened up, revealing that the car was with him. He disclosed that the car was parked somewhere around 1004 , with the intention of selling it for N2 million.
Preliminary investigation as gathered, revealed that a week earlier, the 24-year-old driver who claimed he was born in Borno state, had duplicated the car key at the popular Ladipo market and also bought a car cover. Adamu, in this encounter, revealed that he admitted culpability because he could not stand the tears of Ovat, when she was brought before him.
Why I did it
Asked why he did it, he said, “I have been working for my boss for seven months and he paid me 55,000 monthly. I live with him but he does not feed me. I have never done this before. I was angry because he deducted N13,500 from my June salary because I damaged the car’s side mirror while driving. I hatched the plan myself and sold the idea to one Umaru, who works with the South Africa embassy.
On that day, after dropping my boss at the restaurant where he normally went to eat every Friday, I told him I was going to eat too. But I dropped the car at 1004 car park, from where I called him to say the car had been stolen. Before informing him, I invited Umaru, gave him the car keys and told him not to call me again, until I called him.
Intended to sell the car for N2 million and use the money to buy a Toyota Corolla to operate Uber. But I was yet to get a buyer before I was arrested. I planned to resign from my place of work if I had succeeded. I was also ready to bear the outcome of the arrest but I could not bear the sight of Ovat when she was brought before me. I felt she needed not to suffer for a crime she did not commit. I had to open up to save her the pain. I regret my action”.
Crime Guard gathered that efforts were still on to arrest Umaru, who was alleged to be an accomplice.
