The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a Muslim cleric, Ramoni Adeleke, for allegedly defrauding various people.
The 50-year-old suspect confessed that he shaved his long beard and moustache so that people who knew him as a Muslim cleric, often referred to as “Imam” would not be able to recognise him.
The Imam was arrested alongside two other members of his gang among whom was a septuageneraian named Alhaji Lekan Lanlegu also known as Baba Toyota and another 60-year-old man named Kolawole Odenide.
According to a police source, the arrest was made following a tip off gotten by the Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Kayode Aderanti, alleging that the three aged suspects were involved in stealing and receiving stolen cars from their car snatcher cohorts.
It was learnt that Aderanti issued a directive to the Superintendent of Police in charge of SARS, Mr. Abba Kyari, and his team to arrest the men with the stolen cars which they succcessfully did after pretending to be car snatchers who wanted to sell a stolen car to the trio.
According to the Nation, one of them came forward to collect the car. He had entered into negotiation with the SARS operatives before he realised that they were policemen. Meanwhile, Kyari and his men had cordoned off the spot and promptly arrested the would-be receiver.
Furthermore, Adeleke, who was also arrested almost immediately at a private mosque which he used as an office to dupe people and receive stolen cars.
Meanwhile, a cleric employed to teach people in the mosque and lead prayers had sighted the policemen early enough and made good use of his legs by scaling the fence and escaping.
While confessing the crime, Adeleke,said, “I live in Iba Estate near Lagos State University (LASU) along Badagry Road, Lagos. I am happily married with five children. I built a storey building at Iba and a mosque which I built with N300,000. I built the mosque to honour God and pray to him five times a day. That was 10 years ago.
“In the year 2000, I started thinking of how to make quick money by stealing cars. I was jobless and had no money to feed my family. The man who lured me into car stealing died four years ago. I went to his house to seek advice on how to survive hunger and he taught me how to steal cars.
“He told me that he survived by stealing cars and for 10 years, I stole cars and my poverty disappeared. We would go to a place where a car was parked and used a screw driver to open the door. We would dismantle the wiring and use the starter wire to start the engine.
“While he drove the stolen car, I would drive his own car behind him to wherever he was going to sell, usually a place around Idimu, to an old man called Fatai, who is now late. After selling it for N100,000 then, he would give me N5,000 as my own share.
“The late Fatai had a mechanic workshop, and it was there that I went to meet him that I needed money and he told me about stealing cars.“When Fatai died five years later, one Shina brought Kola Adeniji to me as a partner in crime. We operated more than five times before we were arrested. There was no gang leader between us. We were a twoman gang and anyone could bring a job.
“Our last operation was at Oyigbo, Ebute Meta, Lagos around July this year. We stole one Pick-Up Hylux vehicle and sold it to one Alhaji Lekan for N700,000. I had to shave my beard in the cell to avoid people identifying me as a cleric.
“I bought three commercial buses which ply Ijora-Obalende route, and each of them makes N4,000 return every day except Saturday and Sunday. I was arrested at Atede in Osun State while going to mosque.”
The second suspect, Kolawole, said, “I am from Abeokuta, Ogun State. I am a property dealer in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos. I have two wives and seven children. I met Adeleke in Idi-Iroko, Ogun State when I was doing smuggling. I knew him through a friend called Shina.
“I learnt about stealing cars about seven years ago. Whenever we opened a car door, tore the starting wire and it refused to start, we abandoned it in the belief that it had a security system. But at times, once you start the engine, the security system becomes useless.“I was once arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti. I was charged to court and remanded in prison for one week. I had gone on nine operations and stopped before I started again in January because of the economic situation in the country.”
