I have only stolen seven cars – Robbery suspect

PUNCH

A suspected serial car thief, Mr. Prince Onyeka, who was recently arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, has confessed that he had stolen only seven cars.

Onyeka, who was recently paraded by the Lagos State Police Command, said his targets were usually Toyota Camry cars.

Describing how he usually stole cars, he said he had a Master Key which he got from Benin Republic.

He said he used the key to open car doors including those that had functional alarm systems.

The suspect also said car alarm systems fixed in Nigeria are no match for robbers.

Onyeka said, “I got the key from Porto Novo and it opens Toyota Camry cars, specifically the 1998 model. Most times, if the car has a factory-fitted alarm, the alarm would start sounding immediately I open the car with my key and I run away. However, if the alarm was fitted here in Nigeria, it doesn’t go off when I open it.

 “So, the cars with Nigerian security systems are really no match for me.”

The 30-year-old said he usually stole vehicles parked on the roadside at night, adding that he usually studied his victim for 30 minutes or hours before striking.

He said, “I usually operate around Surulere, FESTAC and Ikeja areas. I steal cars parked on the roadside at night. When people park their vehicles, I study the area for a while to make sure that the owner is not nearby and I usually blend in the darkness so people do not really see me.

“After I steal the cars, I take it to a far location and park it on the roadside for a few days before selling it off. I usually sell the cars for about N400,000.”

Asked why he ventured into crime, the suspect, who claimed to be a prince in Imo State, said he was deported from Thailand early last year and was trying to save some money which he would use to travel back to Asia.

He said, “I cannot disclose why I was deported but I was working at a hotel in Thailand. I am married to a white woman and we have a son. After I got deported, I was jobless so one of my friends who had since relocated to London, introduced me to it.

“I planned to travel back to Asia and I was saving towards it. I have stolen only seven cars so far and I should have stopped but people owed me money and this affected by savings.”

Narrating how he was arrested, the suspect said some policemen pretended to be customers and tricked him to bringing a car to Surulere only to be arrested.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the suspect was arrested through intelligence gathering. She said he would soon be charged to court.