..Why We Steal Cars From Churches—Thieves
A gang that specialises in car jacking have been bursted by officers of Anti Kidnapping and Cultism Squad a.k.a Dragon in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.
The gang, Vanguard learnt mounted surveillance in different places with the intention to steal cars of unsuspecting members of the public.
A security source, who pleaded anonymity, told Vanguard that their major targets were worship centres because once the car owners parks and enters to pray or worship before he or she was done, the vehicle was gone.
The gang met their waterloo when SP A. Awodi and his men from Dragon Squad received a distress call, that a car had been stolen from a church in Calabar South.
According to findings, the victim, Mrs Happiness Godwin had attended a friend’s child dedication at Ibom Layout in a Toyota Camry with registration number GGJ 327 FY, green colour, before she came out from the church her car had been stolen from the church premises.
Briefing newsmen ,the Commissioner of Police, Cross River state, CP Aminu Alhassan said the gang jack cars mostly from churches ,event centres and public places where they know that security was porous.
CP Aminu appealed to members of the public to be more vigilant when they park their cars adding that they must use security apparatus on their vehicle if they were not sure of the environment as prevention was better than cure .
One out of the four suspects arrested, Effion, 26, told Vanguard that they steal and dismantle cars in less than an hour as a business they have been into for quite some time.
“We dismantle cars, the engine and sell it as scrap metal, we steal cars mostly from public places where we know that security is not tight, we drive the car to a scrap metal yard, then dismantle the engine there in less than one hour, most times we already have a request from our client before we search the car,” he said.
Others arrested include Mohammed Hassan, 24, Jaminu Isah, 34, Peter Umoh, 29, and the vehicle was recovered to the station.
Vanguard News Nigeria
