Kunle ADELABU
A 41 year old resident of Ori-Okuta in Agric, Ikorodu, and a native of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Fatai Jimoh, who was nabbed by the local vigilance group in Ikorodu, Onyabo, has confessed to vandalising the network provider mast.
The suspect, who is married with three children and whose gang specializes in stealing mast batteries, confessed to his involvement in two operations at Agbede and Radio areas in Ikorodu.
He was arrested in the early hours of February 1, 2018, by members of Onyabo and Mr Taiwo Idowu, the owner of the 18 Seater MAZDA bus which the suspect allegedly used for the operation.
THE IMPACT gathered that Jimoh usually drives the commercial bus which according to the owner, is strictly meant for transporting passengers on Sundays to relieve the main driver, Lekan Adeniyi, who drives the vehicle on week days and Saturdays.
It was gathered that Jimoh was first arrested on December 16, 2018, while conveying the allegedly stolen MTN mast batteries but was released by police officers at the Ikorodu Police Station along Igbogbo Road after he allegedly paid N50, 000 as bail.
He was later re-arrested and the case was transferred to Area ‘N’ Command in Ijede only to be granted bail again by the officer handling the matter.
The refusal of the police authority to release the commercial bus used in conveying the allegedly stolen batteries prompted the owner and the driver of the vehicle to make life uneasy for him.
As a result of this, he took the vehicle owner and others to the house of another suspect, Taju, whom he claimed called him for the movement of the items from the Radio area of Ikorodu to Owode. The other suspect was apprehended on January 1, 2019, and taken to the Owutu Police Station on the order of the officer handling the matter at Area ‘N’.
According to Mr Lekan, the vehicle owner, he was infuriated because both suspects were granted bail while his vehicle was still being detained.
The release of the two suspects without the MAZDA made the owner to protest to the new Area Commander, Mr Dayo Shokunbi, whom we gathered ordered for the immediate re-arrest of the suspects for prosecution.
After assisting in arresting Taju, we gathered that Jimoh evaded arrest until he was eventually arrested by the members of Onyabo, vehicle owner and others on the early hours of Friday, February, 2019..
Jimoh’s re-arrest was, however, dramatic as the vehicle owner, Idowu , on Thursday, January 31, had traced the suspect’s wife’s shop at Ori-Okuta and laid siege on her.
Unknown to Mrs Jimoh who had informed the police and the vehicle owner that she had divorced Jimoh, Idowu followed her after she had closed from shop to identify her house.
Later in the midnight, some members of the Onyabo, the vehicle owner and others stormed Jimoh’s house at Ori-Okuta but they refused entry into the house for almost 30 minutes as his family claimed that he was not at home.
The door was later forced open and after frantic search, the suspect was found hiding behind the door with a leg raised.
Narrating his involvement to THE IMPACT, Jimoh stated:
“I got to where I am because of covetousness.
“I was called to assist in removing network mast batteries at Radio. We usually sell stolen batteries to a man at Mile 12.
“After we had loaded the batteries, Wasiu and Kazeem (two other suspects who are currently at large) told me that they are going to the estate gate to settle the Onyabo boys that were stationed there so that we can have easy passage. Unknown to me, they were trying to evade. They later called me and the guy with me, Taju, that they had ‘settled’ the security guys and that we should start coming with the bus loaded with batteries.
“When we got to the Estate gate, Onyabo members stopped us but I told them that the owners of the batteries in the vehicle told me that they had cleared my passage and when they were not satisfied with my explanation, they asked me to park. It was at that point that the person with me (Taju) took to his heel. They pursued him but he escaped.
“I called Wasiu and Kazeem who were at Itamaga but they asked me to settle the security guys but I told them that I didn’t have any money on me and I was asked to come with one of the security guys to collect the money.
” One of the Onyabo guys drove the vehicle while I was made to seat beside him and others including the supervisor of the mast who, at that time, had joined us, were on motorbike following us.
“It was when I called them at Itamaga that they told me that they had seen other Onyabo guys on bike despite warning me to come with one of them for amicable settlement.
“We had to return to the scene where I was arrested when we were unable to get others while those in-charge of the mast invited police officers from Ikorodu police station.
“I was taken to the police station on Sunday, December 17, in the police patrol van and on Wednesday morning, I was brought out of the cell for query.
“During the questioning, the police asked me to bring N100, 000 for my bail but I told them that I didn’t have up to that but that I could only arrange N20, 000 but they insisted on taking N50, 000″, he alleged.
“It was my sister that helped in contacting my in-law called ‘Germany’ on my behalf after I was able to contact her on phone. When “Germany arrived the station, the police officer in-charge of my case asked him to provide N200, 000 to get my bail and I had to excuse him and brief him that I had negotiated N50,000 for my bail and the vehicle.
‘‘On that day, I had to arrange for N20, 000 which I gave the officers and on Thursday, we gave them the remaining N30, 000 and I was released but they told me to come back for the vehicle on Friday and I called Lekan who gave me the vehicle that I was asked to come for the vehicle the next day but he wasn’t pleased.
“On getting back to the station on Friday with Levan who is the main driver of the vehicle, we were again told to come back on Monday, December 24.
“I was called back on my way home from the station that we should come and remove the vehicle. On getting back to the station, I was asked to see the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO). It was while I was in the DCO’s office that my legs were chained and was told that the matter has been transferred to Area ‘N’ Command in Ijede.
“That prompted me to ask them the reason for collecting N50, 000 from me as bail on Thursday when they knew that they are going to transfer the matter to Area ‘N’ “.
He further told our reporter that he didn’t tell Lekan about his engagement in illicit dealing
was the reason he pleaded that he should be allowed to take the vehicle home on the fateful Sunday.
“I didn’t tell Lekan that I wanted to use the vehicle to move batteries. I only told him that I was expecting a charter which was why he let me went home with the vehicle.
“When we got to Area ‘N’, the former Area Commander handled the matter and he told me to identify some suspects who were alleged to have vandalized MTN mast batteries but I could not identify anyone of them.
“I was then locked up on that Friday at Area ‘N’ “.
When asked how many of such operation he had engaged in, Jimoh, who had earlier stated that he was only called by other suspects to help them convey the vandalized items, confessed that he also participated in similar operation last October.
“The first time I ever went with them on operation was when we went for the vandalization of network mast batteries at Agbede sometimes in October 2018.
“It was Kazeem and Taju that called me. We moved the batteries to Mile 12 after the operation and I was paid N10,000.”
He also confessed that they normally taken the stolen batteries to a buyer at Mile 12
“The buyer is an Igbo man at Mile 12 but I don’t know his name. I usually drove them to his place.
“I got the buyer’s number when my colleagues (Kazeem and Taju) sent it to me so that I could talk to him to send money for my bail. According to them, he thought they were lying when they told him that I was arrested. That was how I got his number. ”
He stated that he has refrained from talking before his confession because of the fear of the consequence of the oath he was made to take after the Agbede operation. “That was why I cannot refuse their entreaty to go with them for the Radio operation”, the suspect added.
Also speaking with THE IMPACT, Lekan Adeniyi, the main driver of the vehicle who stated that he has been driving for over 20 years, said that he got to know the suspect, at the motor park and started releasing vehicle to him about 4 months ago to make use of it on Sundays.
“I usually drive the vehicle home and take it to garage every Sunday morning to handover it to him (Jimoh) to work with and return it to me in the evening.
“When he came to give me the money he made on Sunday (December 16) evening at one of my friend’s place where we were partying, he explained that he was unable to meet his target and pleaded that I should allow him work on Monday to make up for his loss and I acceded to his request.
“When I told him that I will bring the vehicle to the garage for him early morning on Monday, he again pleaded that he needed to leave home early to avoid traffic and I had to again gave in.
“It was at the party that he gave me the money he made on Sunday and I immediately gave the money to my boss (the owner of the vehicle) who was also at the party.
“Surprisingly, I received his call around 3p.m on Monday that he was being detained at the police station. At first, I thought he was arrested for traffic offense but on getting there, he told me that he had used the vehicle to carry batteries the previous night and they were arrested.”
Lekan stated that he was angry after seeing Jimoh released and walking around as a free man while the police refused to release the vehicle which he operated with.
“I had to hold him after I discovered that he was released and moving around as if nothing is at stake while my vehicle was still being detained”.
Taiwo Hassan, the owner of the seized vehicle and a resident of Ikorodu, stated that he has been using the vehicle for over 5 years.
He explained that he hardly know the suspect but he had to accept the arrangement which his driver, Lekan , had with him.
“The suspect is not my driver but Lekan, whom I had known for close to 10 years brought him and I had to accept the arrangement between the two of them because Lekan told me that he would be relieving him every Sundays and also to help Jimoh (suspect) have means of livelihood.”
He confirmed that the suspect came to Jumofak where they were having a social event to deliver the money he made to his driver who later gave him the money.
“It was on Monday that I was called that my vehicle was at the Igbogbo police station. I had to queried my driver because my understanding of their arrangement was that he will always take the vehicle home and drive it to garage every Sunday morning to give him (suspect) to work but I had to let go of him after he explained the circumstances surrounding the situation.
“When we got to the station, police told us that my vehicle was used for robbery and when we were taking to where the vehicle was parked, we saw MTN batteries in it. ”
He stated that he was surprised when he learnt that the suspect was released while his vehicle was detained.
“To our surprise, he was released few days after but my vehicle was still in the police custody.
“My vehicle is only meant for passengers and not for any other thing. I have known my driver for close% to 20 years and it’s not up to 4 months that he started giving the vehicle to Jimoh every Sunday.
“More disturbing was the fact that this same guy and the suspect were also released when the matter was transferred to Area “N” Command in Irene. %
“We had to protest to the new Area Commander that we were not satisfied with the way the police is handling our matter and he was also disturbed and ordered for the re-arrest of the suspects.
