This is not my first time, I don’t know what’s wrong with me — Suspected thief

A 42-year-old tricycle rider, Ariyo (surname withheld) a.k.a Iyo, who was apprehended by a security group, the Oluyole Security Surveillance Team (OSST) put in place by Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, has confessed to stealing parts of tricycles owned by his colleagues as a result of covetousness.

Ariyo, an Ibadan indigene from a popular household in the South East of Ibadan, Oyo State, married and blessed with two children, also said he conspired with his friend, Muyideen (surname also withheld) a.k.a Kesari, to carry out the operation that boomeranged.

However, the friend denied any involvement, saying he never knew of how Ariyo got another engine for the tricycle he sold to him, though he admitted knowing of his friend’s desire to get another engine to replace the one in the tricycle he sold to him.

The OSST Commandant, Olusegun Idowu, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on the arrest of the two suspects, said a report was received on July 18 that a tricycle with registration number LUY 236 Q was stolen from the bridge at Academy area where it was parked.

He said he informed the Divisional Police Officer at Sanyo police station and started making several patrols to various places to see if he and his men would be able to see the tricycle but all efforts initially proved abortive.

“On July 23, a rider noticed a tricycle at Owode area which looked like the stolen one and informed us. When we got there, we saw that it was indeed the stolen tricycle but the engine and other parts had been removed, leaving just the body.

“I informed the DPO again and moved the body of the tricycle to the station.

“On August 22, we learnt that one Ariyo (a.k.a. Iyo) was selling engine parts. We went to their park and met a man posting hackney permit sticker on a tricycle. He pretended not to be the person we were looking for, but by the time he was pointed at by one of the rider, he had disappeared. We also discovered that the sticker he was posting was fake.”

The commandant said further intelligence gathering revealed that one Kesari, gave Ariyo the tricycle he was riding.

“Kesari took us to his father’s house but we didn’t see anything there. We later heard that one Adeleke bought engine block and carburetor from Ariyo,” Idowu stated further.

He said after the disappearance of Ariyo, the tricycle he took off in was discovered at a filling station at Academy area. Upon a search, it was seen that the engine number, suspected to have been the one stolen from the initially recovered one, had been tampered with.

Before putting the engine in his tricycle, Nigerian Tribune learnt that Ariyo altered its number so that it would not give him out as having stolen it.

Ariyo confessed to stealing the engine. He also disclosed that he had at a time stolen all the tyres of a tricycle which he sold to feed his family.

“I trained as a mechanical engineer but I later started riding tricycle. My first stealing was removing tyres from tricycles. That was about a year ago. I did it in my neighbourhood at Academy, Ibadan. I carried out the operation before the day broke. I removed all the tyres and sold them for N13,000. I used the money to feed my family and also purchased fuel for the tricycle I was riding.”

When asked why he was riding tricycle and not making enough to buy fuel which prompted his stealing, the suspect said he used to be in need whenever his means of living developed fault.

He continued: “The second one was when I stole a tricycle from where it was on queue to pick passengers. It happened about three months ago. I planned it with my colleague, Kesari. We used to load passengers at the same park.

“To be truthful, I was the one who brought the idea. Before coming up with it, Kesari gave me a tricycle which he said was put in his care and he intended to sell. However, I noticed that the engine of the tricycle needed repairs as it was always short of oil.

“We were on Academy field and discussing on the tricycle. I suggested that we should get another engine and pointed at a tricycle parked in front us. I told him that it would be to our benefit if we could steal it and remove the engine.

“Kesari wondered how that would be possible, but I said it would be no problem. I told him to ride it away from the park and hide it in a designated spot. I assured him that if he was stopped on the way, I would give an excuse that he just wanted to use it to pick something. I added that it would be a done deal if he was not caught by anyone, promising to take care of the rest that needed to be done.

“He succeeded in taking it away and I later went to where he parked it. No one saw us. The following day, I went to remove the engine and called him that I had done the task. He came and we removed the engine, leaving the empty body of the tricycle.

“As other drivers were discussing the theft of the tricycle, one of us said that he noticed it being driven to a neighbourhood by someone. Kesari also contributed to the discussion, telling others that he noticed a tricycle at a spot.

“We started negotiating the amount I would pay for the tricycle he gave me, since we were able to change the engine. I said I would pay N400,000. He had asked for N250,000 when he first gave it to me with a faulty engine.

“I agreed with him to pay N20,000 every week in instalments. However, he came to me few days after and said he needed N6,000 which I gave him. On the day I was to pay the balance of N14,000, we didn’t see each other, so, the day after, I gave him N12,000, promising to pay the rest before night fall.

“The same day, I noticed that people were suspicious of me. That was because I had sold parts of the faulty engine we removed to one us, but he didn’t pay for it. We got into a heated argument on this and this aroused the suspicion of those around us, as they wondered how I got the engine block I sold.

“They also reported their suspicion to OSST, asking them to arrest me. They didn’t know me when they came for me. The person who pointed at me had gone back so that I would not see him. When the security people pointed at a tricycle and asked if I was the owner, I denied it and they left. That was when I confirmed that they were looking for me concerning the stolen engine.

“I stylishly followed them. When I saw that they made a u-turn about five minutes later, going back to where we used to queue, I knew I was in for it and quickly ran to Lagos State.

“I was there till October 28 when I decided to return home with promptings from my wife. I was forced to confess what I did to her, and she was so disturbed. She couldn’t sleep at home again. She asked me to come home so that the matter could be settled.

“I came home and I just got to my room, I heard a knock. That was how the Oluyole Surveillance Team came to apprehend me.”

Admitting the alteration of the engine number, Ariyo said: “I don’t understand why I started doing this. I will simply say that it was covetousness.”

However, Kesari, aged 38, denied being part of the plan to steal the engine. The suspect, who is also an Ibadan indigene and a tricycle repairer, said: “I also ride it for commercial purpose. My customers used to put their tricycles in my care, either for sale or to get riders for them that would be delivering money. I gave a tricycle to my friend, Ariyo, on instalment basis when I saw that he had none to ride and was suffering. Initially, he was to deliver money made from conveying passengers. He did this for two weeks and I was giving his delivery to the owner.

“He then told me that he would like to buy it and pay for it in instalments. I told him it was okay as the owner also intended to sell it for N250,000. However, since he wanted to pay in instalments, I asked for N450,000. We eventually agreed on N400,000 and said that he should be paying N15,000 weekly.

“The first week Ariyo was supposed to pay, he did not, complaining of low passenger conveyance. Three days after he was supposed to have paid, he gave me N12,000, promising to pay the N3,000 balance later in the day.

“In the afternoon, I handed my tricycle to a friend to do afternoon shift and went to look for Ariyo to collect the N3,000, only to see other drivers who said they were looking for him. However, they didn’t tell me the reason. I told them I was the one who gave him the tricycle he was riding. Shortly after, the Oluyole Surveillance Team came.

“They asked if I knew his residence; I answered in the affirmative, took them there and pointed it to them. He was not at home. I also took them to his father’s house. I gave them his phone numbers I had but they were not going through. I later learnt that he stole the engine of a tricycle belonging to someone and sold its block. I told the people that I knew nothing about it but only came to see him for the instalment payment on the tricycle he bought.”

He denied conniving with Ariyo to steal tricycle engine, saying: “I never had such an agreement with him. It is true that he told me that the engine of the one I sold to him was always short of oil. I told him that it could be because the tricycle had been in use for long. I asked if he wanted me to repair it or he would do it himself, but he said there was no problem as he just wanted me to know.

“The N6,000 he gave me before the instalment purchase was for delivery for two days. He lent me when I needed to pay for my own instalment purchase.”

The OSST commandant said that the suspects and the recovered exhibits had been transferred to Sanyo Division for further investigation by the police.

FI