21st February, 2016
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command, have arrested a suspected car thief for duplicating her boss car key and for attempting to abscond with it.
The suspect, Emmanuel John, 26, was arrested at Abraham Adesanya Estate, Lekki, last Sunday night (Valentine’s Day) for stealing his boss car after the day’s work with a plan to take the car, a Toyota Corolla with registration number Epe 642 DX, to a Valentine party at Splash Hotel, Sangotedo, Ajah.
John had, a week before carrying out his plans on 14 February, 2016, duplicated the Toyota Corolla key without the knowledge of his boss, Mrs. Flora Ighalo.
On Sunday afternoon, when he was not supposed to be at work, sneaked into the Abraham Adesanya Estate residence of his boss, and took away the car with the duplicate key.
According to John, “I and my friend, Oscar, want to carry the Toyota Corolla to Splash Hotel’s Valentine Show on Sunday night. I persuaded Madam to give the go ahead to cut (duplicate) a spare key but she declined. A week before 14 February, I duplicated the key without her knowledge in Obalende.
“Even though she excused me from work on Sundays, I sneaked into her residence and took away the car after church. I took the car to my residence in Ajuwe area in Ajah, Lagos. My plan was that, after the Valentine show, it’s going to be stressful for me to leave the show around 3:00 a.m, go home and freshen up and set out for Abraham Adesanya Estate around 4:00 a.m. for the day’s work. But, with the car, it’s going to be easy for me to make it to work.”
“After driving the car round Ajah, I was on my way home at about around 8:00 p.m. when I saw Madam calling my set. She asked me where I was and I told her and she said I should come to her house, that I was going to take her somewhere. I turned the car and I headed towards Abraham Adesanya Estate.
“I was at Abraham Adesanya Estate Roundabout trying to enter the Estate, when a man double crossed me and RRS officials arrested me. They asked me where I took the car to since morning and I explained everything to them. Madam has been very nice to me. She pays me N35,000 monthly salary. I am almost like her family member. I am always at ease with her and her family,” he explained.
On her part, Mrs Flora Ighalo, a tax consultant, said, “at about 8:20 p.m., I was seeing off my in-law and to my surprise, I discovered that my car, Toyota Saloon, EPE 642 DX, has been removed from the park.
“I immediately called few friends and one of them got in touch with the operatives of RRS but it never occurred to me that my driver could take a vehicle I just brought from the church, with its key in my hand without my notice. Besides, he was not supposed to come to work on Sunday. Could he have come to my house without my consent and take away my car? The car has only one key. Where could he have gotten another key?” she queried.
“I called him to ask him where he was and he told me that he was at home. I told him to come and pick me to somewhere. He said okay. He came and we saw the car with him,” she explained.
Confirming the story, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos stated the suspect has been transferred to SARS for further investigation.
“It is important to determine if the suspect acted alone or he has an accomplice,” she added.