The Lagos State Police Command has smashed a notorious syndicate specialising in the vandalism of vehicle parts, particularly from cars parked along roadsides or those that had broken down.
The gang, which allegedly operated in different parts of the state, reportedly made as much as N100,000 daily from the illicit trade and could strip vital parts from a vehicle in less than 10 minutes.
The suspects were also said to have improvised a weapon from a Mercedes-Benz jack, which they allegedly used to threaten motorists and other persons who attempted to confront them during their operations.
Two members of the syndicate, Uba Chigozie and Emeka Emordi, have been arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Lagos State Police Command, under the supervision of CSP Sunday Cirman.
According to police sources, the syndicate targeted mainly Toyota vehicles, including Corolla, Sienna and Hilux, with brain boxes, push-button machines, pigeon holes and air-conditioning vents reportedly among their preferred targets.
The suspects, who had previously engaged in one form of business or another at the popular Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market, were said to live in different parts of Lagos but converged at night to carry out their operations at selected locations.
However, the suspects blamed hardship and unemployment for their involvement in the crime, alleging that the demolition of their shops by the government worsened their financial difficulties.
One of the suspects, Uba Chigozie, a former spare parts dealer at the Papa Ajao Spare Parts Market, was arrested at a hotel in the Ijesha area of the state, where he had reportedly been staying for about four months.
He was said to have paid between N10,000 and N15,000 for accommodation during the period.
The 46-year-old Anambra State-born suspect confessed to being a member of the syndicate and admitted participating in the vandalisation of vehicles in different parts of Lagos over the past 10 years.
Speaking with our Correspondent, Chigozie said:
“My name is Chigozie Uba. I am 46 years old and I am from Anambra State. I was arrested and brought here by policemen from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Lagos State Police Command because my members and I were vandalising people’s vehicles.
“I was in a hotel in Ijesha when the policemen came and arrested me. I was surprised because I didn’t know what happened. But when they told me it was because of what my gang was doing, I protested. I didn’t know that they had arrested one of our gang members, Emeka, aka Rashidi.
“When I got here and discovered that they already had one of us with them, I had no other option than to cooperate with them.
“I have been sleeping in that hotel for about four months now. Initially, I was paying N10,000, but later, after the place was renovated, it was increased to N15,000.
“I joined the gang after my spare parts shop was demolished by the government at the Papa Ajao Auto Spare Parts Market. Life became difficult for me. I was in the village when our shops were demolished.
“When things became very difficult and I could not afford to take care of my wife and three children, I went to Ladipo Spare Parts Market to do ‘Baranda’ — a term which means looking for buyers and getting their needs from shop owners to sell. That was where I met Oba, the leader of our gang.
“It was Oba who introduced me to vandalism. He used to buy vehicle spare parts at the market. When I told him about my financial challenges, he introduced me to vehicle vandalism.
“We sell every vandalised brain box for N40,000 and the push-button machine for N10,000. There were days when I got N100,000 as my share, and at times, I didn’t get up to that.”
The other arrested member of the syndicate, Onyeka Emordi, a 37-year-old indigene of Asaba, Delta State, also claimed that he was introduced to vehicle vandalism by one of the buyers at the Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market in Mushin.
Emordi said:
“I was working as a casual driver at a flour mill in Lagos before we were disengaged. After the disengagement, it was very difficult for me to feed, so I went to Ladipo Market to hustle.
“It was at the market that I was introduced to car vandalism. I was introduced to the crime in 2022 by Emeka, one of our customers at Ladipo Market.
“Our targets are Toyota Sienna, Corolla and Hilux. Our primary targets are vehicles parked by the roadside or broken-down vehicles.
“Our first operation was at a mechanic workshop around the Isolo area of the state. It was there that Emeka taught me how to remove brain boxes and push-button machines.
“We live in different parts of Lagos State. I stay in Akegunle, Oba stayed in Igbo Elerin, while Uba stayed in Ijesha. But when we started, we were meeting at FESTAC, from where we headed to Egbeda and Agege areas of the state.
“We don’t use guns. We only have a Mercedes-Benz jack, which looks like a gun, to threaten our victims whenever they confronted us while vandalising their vehicles.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the arrest of the suspects, adding that operatives were on the trail of other members of the syndicate.
She warned other criminals in the state to turn a new leaf or be prepared to face the full wrath of the law.
Adebisi said the Lagos State Police Command, under the leadership of CP Fatai Tijani, would continue to deploy all available resources to rid the state of criminal elements.
