The Lagos State Police Command has busted a suspected vehicle vandalism syndicate that has allegedly been operating across the state for about 10 years.
Two members of the gang, identified as 46-year-old Uba Chigozie and 37-year-old Onyeka Emordi, were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command under the supervision of CSP Sunday Cirman.
The suspects were alleged to have specialised in vandalising mainly Toyota vehicles, particularly Corolla, Sienna and Hilux models, with their preferred targets being vehicles parked by the roadside or those that had broken down.
Police sources told Saturday PUNCH on Friday that the gang could vandalise a vehicle and remove valuable parts within 10 minutes, with members reportedly making as much as N100,000 from some operations.
The gang allegedly targeted vehicle brain boxes, press button machines, pigeon holes and air-conditioning vents, which were subsequently sold to buyers of stolen vehicle parts.
The suspects were also alleged to have improvised a Mercedes-Benz jack to resemble a firearm, which they used to scare victims who confronted them during their operations.
Chigozie, a former spare parts dealer at the Papa Ajao Spare Parts Market, was arrested at a hotel in Ijesha, Lagos, where he had reportedly lodged for about four months.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that the 46-year-old Anambra State indigene confessed to participating in vehicle vandalism across Lagos for about 10 years.
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 Section 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 that it was because of what my members and I were 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.”
Explaining how he got involved in the crime, Chigozie blamed the demolition of his spare parts shop at the Papa Ajao market for his financial difficulties.
He said, “I joined the gang after my spare parts shop was demolished by the government at the Papa Ajao Auto Spare Parts Market. Life was 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 hustle. It was there that I met Oba, the leader of our gang.
“It was Oba who introduced me to vandalism. He used to come and buy vehicle spare parts at the market. When I told him about my financial challenges, he introduced me to vehicle vandalisation.”
The suspect disclosed that the gang made different amounts from the stolen parts.
He said, “We sell every vandalised brain box for N40,000, press 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 second suspect, Emordi, an indigene of Asaba, Delta State, said he was introduced to car vandalism in 2022 after losing his job as a casual driver at a flour mill in Lagos.
He 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 and I went to Ladipo Market to hustle.
“It was at the market that I was introduced to car vandalisation. 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 that are parked by the roadside or broken-down vehicles.”
Emordi said his first operation took place at a mechanic workshop in the Isolo area, where he was taught how to remove brain boxes and press button machines.
He said the gang members lived in different parts of Lagos but converged at selected locations before embarking on their operations.
“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,” he said.
On the alleged weapon used by the gang, Emordi said they did not carry firearms but used a Mercedes-Benz jack to intimidate people who confronted them.
He said, “We don’t use gun. 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 Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the arrest of the suspects and said the police were on the trail of other members of the syndicate.
Adebisi warned criminals operating in the state to turn a new leaf or face the full weight of the law.
She said the command, under the leadership of Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, would continue to intensify efforts to rid Lagos of criminal elements.
