By Dayo Johnson
Akure—IT was double tragedy for a notorious car thief in Ondo State, Yemi Adeoye, arrested by Police detectives as he confessed that he ventured into the illicit trade to offset legal fees of N250,000.
Suspected thief being fed yogurt by mob after serious beating.File Photo
Adeoye was released by an Akure Magistrate’s Court on June 15 and the next day returned to the trade by stealing another CRV in Ondo town.
Luck, however, ran against him as he was arrested while fiddling with a Toyota Corolla belonging to one Mr. Olanipekun, which his wife took to Shasha Market.
The suspect, who specialised in stealing Jeep and Honda cars, was alleged to have single-handedly stolen 32 different brands of Honda CRV cars within the last two years.
Adeoye, 27, was paraded yesterday by the state police command alongside two other accomplices—Paul, a tailor, and Abiola Anifowose, a vulcaniser.
Giving the breakdown of stolen vehicles, a Police source said the suspect stole 25 cars in 2015, seven this year and had been in and out of court many times.
‘Honda cars are easy to unlock’
Speaking during an interview, Adeoye said he needed money to settle his lawyer for a pending case in court, hence his return crime a day after his release by the court.
Adeoye said he was attracted to stealing Honda cars because the brand can be easily unlocked and disposed off.
According to him, he sold the two Honda CRV for N680,000 “to feed myself and to pay my lawyer for his service, because I have a pending case in the court.”
He explained that he gave the two cars to the vulcaniser, Abiola, in-charge of disposing all stolen cars, who sold them to the tailor, Ayeni, and gave N200,000 to Anifowose as his share.
Parading the three suspects, the state Police image-maker, Femi Joseph, said the serial car thief, Adeoye, had been arrested many times and charged to court, but was surprised that as soon as he was let off the hook he returned to the trade.
Joseph said he was arrested while trying to steal a Toyota Corolla in Shasha, Akure, and confessed to the crime.
Describing him as a notorious thief, Joseph said the suspect was freed by the court on June 15 and immediately went back to business by stealing.