Vigilance group arrests four motorcycle thieves in Ondo

ALL days are for the thief, but one day is for the owner, goes the popular saying. And this truism came to play at the weekend, as four suspected motorcycle snatchers were arrested by members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) in Ondo State.

The four suspects were apprehended at the weekend in Ore, Odigbo Local Council of the state.

The Odigbo unit Commander of the group, Mr. Saheed Mudasiru, who disclosed this to journalists, confirmed that the suspects specialized in snatching motorcycles popularly called Okada in one of the commercial hubs of the state, Ore.

Mudasiru revealed that the motorcycle snatchers were nabbed following a complaint from one of the victims identified as Mr. Femi, whose motorcycle had earlier been stolen by one of the thieves.

He disclosed that Femi (owner of the stolen motorcycle) had once reported the case to the police for investigation at Ore Division, but to no avail.

“It was one Femi who came to report the thieves and that his Bajaj Motorcycle had once been stolen. He ‎told us that the case had been reported to the Police in Ore and we subsequently arrested the four of them in connection with the crime, “ Mudasiru said.

The Area Commander, Anti-Robbery Squad, Kayode Oyenikan, who corroborated the news of the arrest, said the four suspected thieves were arrested through one Taofiq in connection with the crime.

“Taofiq mentioned the name of his younger brother, Rasheed Ojo, to be the brain behind the stolen motorcycle‎ and he was immediately arrested on that day,” he said.

Oyenikan posited that Ojo, who hails from Iragbiji, in Boripe Local Council of Osun State, implicated another partner in crime, Olaniyan Lekan, who was also arrested.

“The two arrested suspects led vigilante members to Sabo in Ondo town where another two of the criminals- Hassan and Abubakar- were arrested and three stolen Bajaaj motorcycle were recovered from them,” Oyenikan added.

Investigation revealed that ‎the stolen motorcycles were always being sold to the duo of Hassan and Abubakar, both Northerners who hail from Sokoto and Taraba States respectively.

“They always sold the stolen motorcycles to Hassan who hails from Sokoto State and he too would sell it out to Abubakar, an indigene of Taraba State, who would subsequently transport them to the North for sale at cheaper rates,” ‎a vigilante member revealed.

The Guardian gathered that the stolen motorcycles, ‎which market cost valued at N120, 000 were always being sold at a cheaper rate of N50, 000 or less.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Wole Ogodo, said the suspects are now in custody at the Ore Police Division, in Ore, after they had been handed over to the police by VGN for prosecution.

The Police spokesman noted that the three motorcycles were recovered from the arrested suspects, affirming that once investigation has been concluded, “they would be charged to court for prosecution.”