Suspected robbers who dared to rob a pastor and made away with his Toyota Camry car have been exposed by the pastor’s bible, which was inside the car.
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command started trailing the robbers based on what the man of God, Pastor Lawal Adesoye Zacheous, of Unity Estate, Idimu/Egbeda told the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, of how and where he was robbed.
A few weeks after the robbery, using all arsenals available to them, including paid informants, police nailed three suspects.
They are Monday Patrick, Michael Adeagbo and Ismaila Kazeem, alias Asumo.
Suspects who bought the car from the suspected robbers are Odu John, Promise Woke and Ifeoluwa Coker.
Odu is a graduate of Zoology (2011) of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Odu did his Post graduate diploma in Management Sciences.
Coker is a graduate of Biology Education of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State.
When SARS operatives stormed the home of Patrick, just like other members of his gang, he denied knowing what the policemen were talking about.
But the eagle eyed policemen noticed a giant bible and flipping through it, discovered the name on it was that of the pastor.
This made them to know that they were in the right place.
The gun used in the operation was also recovered from Patrick’s home.
Patrick said that he became friendly with Michael after he came to his shop to sew clothes.
He added: “One day, Michael came with a black bag to my shop. He said I should keep it for him. After about two days, I opened the bag and saw a gun inside. I waited for him for two days, but he didn’t come. It was while I was waiting for him that police came to arrest me.”
Patrick said he was not a robber, adding: “If Michael brings cloth to me to sew, he would give me money and phones. He had given phones to me twice. I did not know he is a robber. When I saw the bible, I kept it in my shop because it was very big and I liked it.”
The suspects met their waterloo after the Officer in Charge of SARS, SP Abba Kyarri, received instruction from Manko to go after the fleeing robbers.
The suspects’ homes were searched and two pairs of army uniforms and a black bag, containing documents of the robbed car, were recovered.
Also recovered was a locally made double barrel cut-to-size gun alleged to have been used for the robbery.
Adeagbo said that he and Ismail Kazeem carried out the robbery attack, adding that the snatched car was with Kazeem.
Kazeem on the other hand, said that car was with John Odu.
Odu was arrested at Ikotun while trying to receive another snatched vehicle from the same Kazeem.
Odu said that he had already sold the pastor’s car to a customer at Port Harcourt, identified as Promise Woke.
Kazeem told detectives that he had once sold a Toyota Camry to Desmond Inwerem and Ifeoluwa Coker.
Adeagbo, 25, an ex-convict, recalled how the pastor was robbed.
His words: “As the pastor was returning from work, I and Kazeem followed him because we were already in the street. The pastor came down to open the gate to his home and we forced him into the car. We used only one gun. I brought the gun from Ife. As we snatched the vehicle, Kazeem collected the car, sold it and did not give me any money.”
Remembering his past robberies, Adeagbo said: “We have stolen laptops four times, handsets and gold. I, Lucky and Kunle did that job. Lucky is dead. He died during a robbery operation. Kunle is in prison now. I was not a robber before, but it was in prison I learnt about robbery.”
Kazeem, 27, said that he met Michael while they were both riding commercial motorbikes at Oshodi.
He said: “I have snatched one Jeep with Michael at Festac. We forged a fake gun, using ceiling fan pipe. It took me about a week before I sold the car of the pastor because Michael did not want us to sell the car.
“He wanted us to be using it for operation. I sold the Camry for N290,000. I did not give him any share because I believed there was money in the two bags he removed from the pastor’s car.”
Incidentally, it was the same Michael whom he did not give a share of the money of the car that assisted policemen to arrest him.
According to Kazeem, Michael called him that there was another snatched car to be sold and without thinking, he had dashed to meet his partner in crime, only to walk into the waiting arms of the police.
Odu, 39, a father of four, said that he was working with a construction company, Dredging Atlantic, in Port Harcourt before his appointment was terminated in 2010.
He relocated to Lagos in March 2014.
He said: “Kazeem brought the car to me to buy. I knew him through Kehinde. I have bought two cars from him before. I’m aware the cars he brought were stolen cars. I bought the pastor’s car for N290,000. The previous car he sold to me was also a Camry. I bought that one for N180,000. I resold the one of N290,000 for N400,000 and the one of N180,000 for N280,000.”
Woke, 36, father of four, is a registered Chivita juice seller.
He lives in his own house at Ikwere Road, Port Harcourt.
He added: “Odu sold the car to me. The particulars of the Pastor were in the car. Odu told me that he wanted to sell the car for N600,000. He said that his friend who works with Customs had a problem and wanted to sell the car. I brought my elder brother to help me negotiate. I bought it for N400,000. I knew Odu while we were in primary school. We ran into each other sometime ago in Port Harcourt and exchanged phone numbers. I did not know the car was stolen. I’m an innocent buyer.”
Coker, 28, said: “Desmond is my guardian right from when I was in the University. We attend the same Church. I was arrested in respect of a Toyota Camry Desmond instructed me to receive on behalf of a church member, which he helped to purchase. Desmond was not in town. Desmond called and informed me someone was bringing a car from Cotonou. He did not tell me the person. The car was not registered. Desmond was to deliver it to a church member who had paid part payment for a car. He directed us to meet the man and the man liked it.”
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