Pastor turn Robber in Ekiti

A five-man armed robbery and car snatching syndicate, including a pastor of an Ikere-Ekiti based church, Taiwo Afolabi, have been arrested by police in Ekiti State.

Other arrested suspects of the alleged syndicate, who were said to operate in Ekiti and Osun states, include Wasiu Shola (56), Itiku Albert (61), Abdulkareem Ganiyu (51) and Ajilumo Emmanuel (48).

Exhibits recovered from them by the police were two Toyota Camry cars, two Nissan Cabster vans, one loaded locally made gun and two daggers.

The cleric, who was alleged to be the receiver of the stolen vehicles and the keeper of the gang’s firearms at Ikere-Ekiti, told journalists in Ado Ekiti when he was being paraded yesterday that he knew the leaders of the syndicate, Wasiu and Abdukareem in Ibadan and had since been receiving cars from them and giving same to one Ajilumo Emmanuel, a dealer to sell to interested buyers.

Afolabi said: “I never asked them since they have been bringing cars to me to sell whether the cars were stolen goods or not. But I could not sell the last one they brought on time. That was what put me in this trouble because the engine was faulty and we could not dispose of it quick.”

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ekiti State, Mr Victor Babayemi, said the arrest of Wasiu and Abdulkareem by policemen on patrol along Igbara Odo-Ogotun Road with two Toyota Camry cars culminated in the arrest of the other three.

According to him, “It has been established that the two Toyota cars were snatched from their owners at Osun State, but detectives are still working hard to trace the owners of the two Nissan vans. Meanwhile, the suspects and the two cars will be transferred to Osun State for further action.”

Men of the Swift Response Squad also paraded a teenager, Raji Babatunde, 17, who they arrested in the early hours of yesterday during a robbery operation at Okesa area of Ado-Ekiti.