A professional footballer, who played in the 2002 African Nations Cup was one of the five persons paraded on Wednesday for robbery and snatching of over 15 exotic cars.
The footballer, Moses Andrel, a Liberian, said he never meant to join the robbery gang, but was forced by circumstances beyond his control.
Andrel’s modus operandi is to get employment as a driver and later disappear with his boss’s car.
According to him, he had disappeared with about four cars belonging to different people he worked for as driver.
He said he came to Lagos State to search for a club to join and continue playing football, but discovered that it was no so easy.
Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, led by SP Abba Kyarri, have recovered the 16 cars
According to the police, on October 20, 2014, in a follow up to car snatching cases under investigation, five suspects identified as Mahmud Abdulakeem, 48; Musa Yusuf, 27; Abayomi Adebayo, 53; Israel Nana, 30; and Moses Andrei, 25 were arrested and the cars recovered.
The cars were recovered in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Benin and Abuja.
The list of the cars are: Toyota Camry, reg MUS 861 CA; Mitsubishi Outlander KTU 615 AV; Toyota Camry, BQ 652 AKD; Toyota Camry MUS 353 CV; Toyota Camry BDG 370 CP; Toyota Camry AAA 487 CA; Nissan Pathfinder Jeep AGB 839 RK; Nissan Murano Jeep KRK 449 CL; Honda Accord KMM 115 AA; Honda Accord LSD 394 BG; Toyota Corolla KUJ 132 HZ; Mitsubishi Outlander KJA 745 BH; Toyota Camry UW 879 KJA; Toyota Avensis ABJ 89 BK; and Toyota Sienna FJ 611 LSR.
SARS operatives also recovered tools used for changing chassis and engine numbers.
Samples of fabricated chassis numbers were also recovered.
The police said that the gang specialises in snatching vehicles in Lagos and others states, after which they sell them off.
Andrel revealed that he was among the 23 players from Liberia who featured in the African Nations Cup jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana in 2002.
He said: “I left Liberia in 2003 during the civil war and came to Nigeria as a refuge at the Oru camp in Ijebu Ode.
“I didn’t like the kind of life we were living at the camp.
“I decided to come to Lagos with the assistance of the camp officials to see if I could play with any local football club in Lagos.
“When I got to Lagos, I could not secure a contract with any football club.
“But I didn’t want to go back to the camp.
“That was how I became a driver.”
According to the suspect, he later met Israel Nana, a Ghanaian, and they became bosom friends.
On a fateful journey to Port Harcourt, Rivers State with his boss, Andrel ran into Nana again, who soon introduced him into robbery and car snatching.
Andrel said: “When I came back from Port Harcourt, the first car I made away with was my boss’s car at his Ogudu residence.
“I ran away with the car after I was sent on errand.
“I drove the car to a designated venue where Israel met me and picked the car.”
Andrel further said that his first move, others became easier.
“I’ve also made away with about four cars from my working places,” he told newsmen on Thursday.
He said he was arrested when he went to the bank to collect his share of the proceeds from some of the cars they had sold.
Another member of the gang, Yusuf, a car dealer in Abuja, was alleged to be part of those who used to collect the stolen cars and sell them off for the gang.
He however denied knowing the cars were snatched.
“I never knew the cars were stolen,” cried Yusuf, adding: “The boys were introduced to me by Muhmud Abdulakeem, whose elder brother was my boss before he died last year.”
Stating how own side of the story, Nana said he joined the gang because his wife was heavily pregnant and they needed money to prepare for the arrival of the baby.
He said after brain storming, he decided to come down to Nigeria in search of greener pastures.
His words: “I was desperately in need of money to meet my needs.
“I wanted to take care of pregnant wife.
“I convinced Andrel to start bringing cars, while I would sell them.”
Adebayo was arrested for always assisting the suspects in changing the chassis numbers of any snatched vehicles.
Ashafa Dipo, one of the victims, whose Toyota Camry car, marked MUS 861 CA, was snatched, was at the command on Thursday to take possession of his car.