Vigilante operatives attached to the Lokoja Vigilante Group of Nigeria have arrested a 27-year-old man, simply identified as Hassan Abdul, suspected to specialise in stealing motorcycles in Lokoja the Kogi State capital aand its environs.
FUSION CHRONICLES NIGERIA NEWSPAPER gathered that Abdul was arrested on Friday evening in Lokoja. The suspect, was alleged to have stolen over 10 motorcycles in the past three months and its is believed that to Abdul is part of a syndicate responsible for a series of violent motorcycle thefts in the Kogi State capital.
Chief Hassan Yusuf, Commander of the Vigilante Group in the state, while commenting on the arrests stated that Abdul was caught after stealing a motorcycle at GSM Village in Cantonment, Lokoja, on Thursday evening.
The commander further explained that the syndicate typically operates between Ayinbga and Lokoja, with members travelling from Ayinbga to dismantle the stolen motorcycles in Lokoja before taking them back to Ayinbga.
Abdul, who originally hails from Ayinbga in Kogi East, was arrested in the former Nassara Cinema area of Lokoja.
Abdul during interrogation confessed to stealing motorcycles for the past three years. On the day of his arrest, he admitted to stealing a motorcycle parked at GSM Village in Cantonment, Lokoja.
“He said he uses a special key to unlock and steal motorcycles,” Yusuf disclosed.
Further investigations revealed that Abdul had stolen over 10 motorcycles in Lokoja, selling each for approximately N150,000.
The Punch reports that Yusuf credited the success of the operation to the collaboration between security agencies and the timely sharing of information by journalists.
In response to the arrest, Comrade Salihu Abubakar, Chairman of the Kogi State chapter of the Association of Phone Technicians and Accessories Dealers, where the motorcycle was stolen, urged security agencies to ensure Abdul is prosecuted.
“A lot of our customers’ motorcycles have been stolen here. We have reported several cases to the security agencies. Thank God we were able to arrest one yesterday. We appeal to the security agencies to ensure this suspect is prosecuted,” Abubakar said.
He further stated that prosecuting Abdul would act as a lesson to others involved in similar criminal activities in the state.
