The suspects (far right, Odeyemi).
The Federal Special Anti-Larceny Squad of the Nigeria Police Force, Adeniji-Adele Street, Lagos, on Monday paraded a chief of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, Itunnu Odeyemi, and eight others, verbalizing they were notorious for snatching exotic cars in the country.
The police verbally expressed Odeyemi was additionally an APC Local Regime Area executive in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State.
Other members of the nine-man gang are Omoniyi Ajewole, Oluseye Jacob, Oluwadamiliare Rasaki, Ajisafe Olawale, Ogunniyi Sunday, Tolani Babatunde, Abubakar Umar, and Ayodeji Olumudi.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, verbalized the suspects were apprehended after a victim, who was purloined of two conveyances and other valuables on June 27, 2013 in Ile-Ife, Osun State, reported to the police. He integrated that the case was later transferred to the FSARS.
It was accumulated that the apprehend of Ajewole, a 28-year-old man from Ilesha, Osun State, had led to the apprehend of other members of the gang which included Odeyemi, who Ajewole withal claimed was his political godfather.
While verbalizing with journalists, Odeyemi gainsaid being a member of the gang. He verbally expressed he provided Ajewole with a locally-made gun, which the police have recuperated, to bulwark him during the period of the recently concluded governorship election in Ekiti State.
He verbalized, “Omoniyi (Ajewole) is my political thug. I brought him to my place and gave him a gun to secure me. I have never participated in any larceny operation, but he used to escort me with the gun. Having an escort was a component of the gains of being a political bellwether. All APC bellwethers were working for the regime during the election.
“Every political party, including ours has factions. That was why I gave him the gun, so that he could always bulwark me wherever I peregrinated. I additionally injuctively authorized him to be with me, particularly as the Ekiti election was approaching then. I had visually perceived the gun on the ground during the 2007 elections violence in the state and had kept it.”
Ajewole, who was first caught by the police, confessed during interrogation that he had been working as a political thug for the APC chieftain.
He verbalized, “He had given me the gun to utilize in forfending him during campaign violence. But I had not yet utilized the gun afore I was apprehended in September 2013. I am not a larcenist. I prefer to be called a political thug. I was the only one the honourable (Odeyemi) gave the gun, and he additionally paid me salary.”
Our correspondent learnt that after the apprehend of the gang, the FSARS were able to instaurate 17 purloined cars in different components of the country, most of which were Toyota and Honda brands. Three assorted guns were withal recuperated from them.
Mba verbally expressed the suspects would soon be arraigned in court.
He verbally expressed, “This is a case that commenced on June 27, 2013 when a Nigerian was glommed of two conveyances and other valuables and he reported the incident to the police. This apprehend is one of the achievements of the FSARS. It led to the apprehend of nine suspects who were pellucidly linked with not just the armed larceny reported, but a series of such in the country.
“An intriguing aspect of the apprehend is that Ajewole confessed to the police that he was not an armed purloiner, but additionally a political thug working for Odeyemi Itunnu from Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State. We want to admonish politicians to steer clear of actions that are capable of posing a threat to the security of the country.”
