…advise car owners to profile their drivers with the police

By Ifeanyi Okolie

Sincerely, this was not what Mrs. Chinyere Okpe, a middle -class resident of Ikeja, the capital of Lagos State, had bargained for when she contracted a recruitment agency to hire a private driver for her.   After she succeeded in getting a driver named Joseph Akpan, she got the rudest shock of her life when, the driver disappeared with her brand new Toyota Yaris, three days after.  When investigations commenced, it was discovered that many others, including an army colonel, had fallen victims to the driver’s criminal activities.

one of the vehicles recovered cars

The Akwa Ibom State- born suspected car thief, is a member of a notorious gang, that specialized in stealing exotic cars, belonging to unsuspecting individuals, that engaged their services as private drivers.

It was learnt that they normally ferry stolen cars down to Uyo, the  Akwa Ibom  State Capital, where the gang operate a car sales outfit, known as ‘Carstar Office’ located along, the Ikot-Ekpene Road, Uyo.

Police to the rescue
However, the  28-year-old OND holder in Marine Mechanical Engineering, from Federal Polytechnic Ede, met his waterloo recently  when  detectives  at the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS,)  Adeniji-Adele, Lagos, got an intelligence report on his nefarious activities and  swooped on him at his hideout, located  somewhere in Uyo.   After his arrest, coupled with his confessional statements, a massive raid was carried out at the ‘Carstar Office’ where three other members of the gang were rounded up and over 11 exotic cars recovered.

Another recovered car

According to a police source who craved for anonymity, operatives from the FSARS responded swiftly when they got an intelligence report on the criminal activities of the gang. “ The report we got  first  was on  Akpan, whom we learnt specializes in stealing his employer’s cars.

He reportedly does that after working with them for a short while.  He normally carries out all the necessary checks on the marketability of the cars before striking by taking them down to Akwa Ibom State where they are disposed off.  We were able to track him down this time around by arresting both the man that guaranteed him before he was employed and their agent.

They were all arrested after he made away with the employer’s Toyota Yaris and they are currently being remanded at the Kirikiri Prison.  It was after we had arrested,  interrogated him, that he confessed that he was a member of  a gang that  specialized in stealing cars in Lagos and ferrying them down to Akaw Ibom State where other members run a car sales outlet.  He led us to them and we arrested three of them and recovered 11 exotic cars”.

On how he operates, Akpan told Crime Alert that, he uses different driver’s licenses while applying for a job with any recruiting agency to avoid being identified and he usually insists on being paid a salary of N20, 000 from his employers, which at the end of the day, he would not wait to collect before disappearing with their cars.

Another car

How I joined the gang
The young man who wore a remorseful expression while interracting with Crime Alert,  bemoaned his involvement in crime, by attributing  to a friend,  whom he said introduced him to the gang.   According to him, “When I returned to Lagos after my OND program at Federal Polytechnic, Ede, in search for job, I couldn’t secure any, several searches, proved abortive.

Then I was staying with an old friend at Olodi Apapa, but at a time, he could no longer foot the bills of the apartment and the landlord got a court order to eject us. All of us were thrown out.  I was passing the night in an uncompleted building.   One day, I went to  Ojota in search for job  and I ran into my friend, whom I knew at Ikot-Ekpene.   I told him of my travails and he took pity on me.   I asked him if he could help me because he was looking good, and at that instant, he offered I join him in his apartment, which I accepted without objection.  It was while we lived together that he and two others,  who were also into this business,  introduced me to the gang.  They also lectured me on their operational strategies and since I am a good driver, I had little difficulty getting a job.

The agent that secured the job for me was known as Sunny, though he was unaware of my intention when he secured the job with the owner of a Nissan Xterra, last November.  Three days after, we went to  a place at Victoria Island.   She went inside and I was supposed to wait behind in the car.  I thought that was my best chance of stealing the Jeep, because she told me that she was going for a  meeting and it would take a long  time.   I then disappeared with the car believing that I would have gone far before she realizes that I had gone with her car.  To be frank, I also had little problems taken the vehicle  down to Akwa Ibom.   Whenever I approached a police check point, I quickly identified myself as a driver sent on errand and they would just let me go without probing further.

How I stole the Colonel’s car
I used the same method when I stole the Colonel’s Jeep. It was a Rav 4.  It happened after I was introduced to him by  a friend, called Immabom.   He accepted me and offered to pay me N20, 000  which I accepted quietly, in other to conceal my intension.   I worked for him for just four days  before I disappeared with his Jeep.

I applied similar trick on Mrs. Chinyere Okper,  I took her Toyota Yaris, though in her own case, I went through an employment agent, known as Jonathan, and I also provided a new driver’s license bearing a different name.   But, I don’t  really  know how the police  got wind of it  and trailed me down to my home town in Uyo and got me arrested”.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer at the FEDSARS, Laken Ogundare who confirmed this report cautioned members of the public to be wary of persons they engage in their domestic services.  “Such people should be properly vetted, if possible take them to the nearest police station for some good profiling, and to ascertain if they have criminal records because they could have criminal tendencies”.

He however, called on members of the public who have lost their vehicles or valuables to members of this syndicate to come to the police and make their claims; “ We recovered  11 vehicles from the syndicate and  we  have  also  released the Jeep to the owner.    We are also calling on those who had lost their  vehicles in this guise to come forward with proofs of ownership for claims”.