The cookie has crumbled for 55-year-old Alfa Ramoni Adeleke, who masqueraded as a pious Islamic cleric during the day, but engaged in car snatching at night with the support of two of his accomplices, Kolawole Oderinde and Lukmon Soyoye.
But the popular saying, “many days for the thief but one day for the owner of the house,” came true for him on April 9, when operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad led by Supol Abba Kyari of the Lagos State Police Command arrested him and his gang.
Sunday Sun gathered that Adeleke had been engaged in car snatching for about 10 years. He confessed that he particularly preferred to steal Toyota cars parked outside, on the road or street by forcefully opening the vehicle, hot-wiring (joining the ignition wires) car to start it and then drive it away.
Adeleke further revealed that he and his members do not remove the number plates of stolen vehicles or even issue new particulars for the vehicle claiming that it is the new buyers who know the vehicle was stolen that undertake the hassles of registering them.
In the course of their car theft activities, Adeleke and his accomplices had earlier in 2014 stolen a vehicle that had a tracker, and sold it to one Alhaji Lekan. Following a report lodged by the owner of the car, the police used the tracker installed in the vehicle to locate it and arrested Lekan who bought it. He in turn took the Police to the homes of Adeleke and Oderinde and they were also arrested and taken to the SARS office. After interrogation, they were charged to court and were granted bail. While on bail, Adeleke and his gang resumed their criminal activities.
According to a source at SARS, Adeleke, the daytime Islamic cleric and nighttime thief invited Soyoye for another operation, which effectively ended the road for them, when the duo drove to Ikeja at 3 am in their Toyota 4 Runner SUV and stole a Toyota Corolla car with registration number BDG 429 DB on November 16, 2014. And sold it to one Jamiu. On that fateful day, when the owner of the vehicle, Tajudeen Mohammed, was ready to leave for work, he came outside and made the shocking discovery that his car was not where he had parked it close to a hotel. He was dumbstruck.
The theft of the car was made somewhat easier because the compound where he lived had no space for him to park the car within the premises. So he adopted the practice of parking it near Potters Continental Suites, a hotel on Adenuga Street, off Opebi Link road, Ikeja, Lagos.
After looking for it around the vicinity of the hotel, thinking that he may have parked it at another spot, he raised the alarm when he did not see the treasured Corolla car. Promptly he rushed to the Area F Police station to file a stolen car report. The case was then transferred to the Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos, specifically to the SARS office.
While investigating the theft of Mohammed’s car, the team assigned to the case decided to visit the hotel located opposite Mohammed’s house to review the hotel’s CCTV footage. The footage showed how the men arrived in their SUV and how they took the Corolla away. Immediately, a signal was flashed to police formations to be on the look out for the two suspects. Two weeks later after being granted bail, Adeleke and Soyoye were arrested at Ikeja by Area F Police officers for the theft of the Corolla.
Soyoye who grew up in Abeokuta, Ogun State painted a picture of his relationship with Adeleke. He said: “Ramon called me saying he and some Muslim faithful went for a programme and while returning, their vehicle got spoilt, that I should come to assist them. I was not around but I found my way to Agege. When I got there, they said they were no longer there that I should meet them at Ikeja. They directed me to where they were. When I got to Ikeja, it was already midnight. We went to these Hausa men who make tea and we drank tea. Then they said they were looking for a mosque to pray. So I took one way. It was then the Police followed us and arrested us.”
However, sources at the Police Command headquarters said: “They were arrested with the help of the CCTV footage from the hotel where they stole the Toyota Corolla 2003 model saloon car. After playing the footage for them, they admitted stealing the car and named the buyer of the vehicle too. Jamiu was arrested and he returned the vehicle. When he was arrested, Adeleke could not give a satisfactory account of himself. When we arrested him, he said he was going to the mosque. When we visited the scene, there was no mosque on the street.”
Adeleke, a father of four is a native of Ede, Osun State said he used to earn a living from operating a transport service in the 1980s in Lagos. He confessed that his friend, Moshood, who he described as a master in the art of stealing cars coerced him into it, urging that they form a team together. Meanwhile, his family had been holding to the erroneous belief that Adeleke was a transporter, who had been able to build a house for himself.
On how the gang carries out its operations, Adeleke said: “Sometimes we see good vehicles and trace them. At other times, we just move around till we find one and then take it. Adeleke apparently loves the good life as he has travelled to many countries such as Pakistan, Iraq, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and other Asian countries for prayers and other businesses.
Meanwhile, the third member of the gang, Oderinde who was also granted bail is at large, following the re-arrest of his accomplices, Adeleke and Soyoye.
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