By Dare Akogun
The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Monday paraded seven suspected serial motorcycle thieves and their accomplices arrested in different parts of the state.
The suspects motorcycle thieves are Abifarin Sunday, Tayo Elija and Wasiu Ismail, while the three main suspected accomplices, are Lukman Rasheed Ogunbiyi Johnson and Moses Ishola.
Spokesman of the command, Olasunkanmi Ayeni, told newsmen that two of the suspects were arrested in Oro town, Irepodun local government area of the state while their accomplices were arrested in Ogbomosho.
He said three new motorcycles were recovered from the suspects.
Ayeni who said the command had in recent times been inaudated with complaints of motorcycle theft, said in some cases “the owners of the motorcycles were killed” and in some other instaces they were “taken away forcefully” from the owners.
“There have been cases of incessant theft or motorbikes in Kwara State and its environs lately, to the extent that some of the victims have been killed in the process,” he said.
Speaking during the parade, one of the suspects, Wasiu Ismail, said they usually look out for houses whose tenants and owners forget to lock their gates before going to bed to steal their properties.
Ismail was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) on July 15, 2022 for stealing three motorbikes at different locations in Ilorin and Oro town along with other six accomplices.
The suspect said that he regained freedom from prison on July 2, 2022 after serving a year and half imprisonment for plasma TV theft.
“We stole two of the motorbikes in Oro around at about 2:00 am after we have discovered that the gate to the compound was opened.
“We also used the same methods in most of our other operations in Ilorin and work with other groups to feed us with information”, he said.
The ex-convict, who said he is a painter, said that another member of the gang, who he said sourced for buyers; one Ogunbiyi Johnson (Biggy) from Osogbo, Osun state that the motorcycle s were sold for the sum of N130 each.
Ogunbiyi, who also confessed to the crime, said he was a furniture maker along Ibrahim Taiwo road in Ilorin, adding that he only took the suspects to sell the machines at Ogbomoso.
On his part, Lukman Rasheed, who was also contacted to get buyers for the stolen motorcycle, said he was only told that the motorcycle were being sold by some students who were arrested by EFCC but looking for money to bail themselves.
He, however, said the motorcycle were sold at the rate N330,000 each as against the N130,000 Biggy presented to the suspects.
