The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a former councillor of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara, Samuel Adeojo, over alleged car theft.
Spokesperson of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.
Uwujaren alleged that Adeojo was fingered as the leader of a car theft syndicate notorious for stealing vehicles from car dealers through pretence as genuine buyers.
“Until Adeojo’s arrest recently, the EFCC had been on his trail after series of petitions against his gang’s criminal activities were considered by the Commission’s Ibadan zonal office.
“No fewer than three cases of car theft have been established against the syndicate, with all the vehicles involved recovered and kept in the Commission’s custody in Ibadan,” he said.
He stated that investigations carried out revealed that the gang deployed a similar pattern of tricks to steal vehicles from their victims.
The commission found that the suspect often pretended to be a medical doctor, adopting different names and different institutions as his place of work.
Uwujaren said he did that just to appear responsible and create a false sense of confidence to penetrate the victims.
One of the many cases reported, according to Uwujaren, involved a Toyota Avensis wagon car in which Adeojo claimed to be one Dr Gboyega Omojola of the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
“The case was reported to the EFCC, Ibadan office on March 23, by one Tunde Adejuwon, an Ibadan-based car dealer.
“According to the petitioner, ‘Dr Omojola’ had come in the company of one Babatunde Oni, his supposed driver, to his stand to negotiate for the car.
“He later agreed to pay N2 million for it.
“After the agreement, ‘Dr. Omojola’ issued an N2m Skye Bank Cheque ostensibly in favour of the dealer and ordered his ‘driver’ to pay it into his Zenith Bank account at Bodija, Ibadan.
“Oni later came with a copy of the Zenith bank deposit teller, depicting ‘payment’ of the agreed sum into the dealer’s account, ” he said.
He, however, stated that it was later discovered that the payment was not approved as the payer used a cloned cheque for the transaction.
“Unfortunately, the decline did not come until after the gang had eloped with the vehicle.”
The EFCC spokesperson also alleged that a similar scenario also played out in a petition by one Mr Amos Oloja, also an Ibadan-based car dealer.
He explained that Oloja alleged that the duo drove to his car stand in a Honda CRV to price a Toyota Sienna car and agreed to pay N2.2 million.
“This time, Adeojo claimed to be Dr Odumodu, also of UCH, Ibadan, while Oni, his ‘driver’ gave his name as Kayode.
“’ Dr Odumodu’ (the suspect), issued a Standard Chartered Bank cheque for the payment of the sum and directed his ‘driver’ to go with the dealer to perfect the payment.
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“Unfortunately, the cheque could not be confirmed as the account rather carried the name of Akinjide Sefiu Odusanya.
“On hearing the news, Adeojo pretended to be surprised. He left with the SUV with the promise to bring another cheque to offset the car cost and Oni was left behind.
“Although he (Oni) had pretended to be sick all the while, he took advantage of the time the dealer went to return a borrowed battery to his colleague, to strike.
“Before the dealer’s return, Oni made away with the negotiated Avensis car, ” he added.
Uwujaren said that the two were also linked with another car theft matter involving a Toyota Matrix car somewhere in Iwo, Osun State.
He said Oni was currently in the Agodi Correctional Centre, following a court order, when he was recently arraigned over one of the incidents.
He said that Adeojo would soon be charged to court.