TUNDE BOLAJI – MINNA
Niger State Police Command has arrested a suspected specialized car theft mechanic, Mustapha Yusuf, 33 years in Kaduna State.
The suspect it was gathered resides in the Barkin-Sale area of Minna was nabbed by men of the Niger State Police in possession of a vehicle stolen from the state
It was learnt that the suspect was trailed and arrested at a hotel in the Gabasawa area of Kaduna State for being suspected to have stolen a vehicle in Minna belonging to one of his customers.
Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Wasiu Abiodun said the suspect was arrested based on the technical intelligence of the command.
According to him, “last week Wednesday, at about 5.30pm, a complainant reported an incident of car theft at GRA Division, that on the same date at about 9am, he parked his Toyota Pontiac Vibe vehicle with Reg. No. MNA 974 SK at Dutsen-Kura, by London street, Minna and when he returned afterwards, the vehicle was missing from where it was parked”.
Abiodun explained that upon preliminary investigation, the said Mustapha Yusuf who is a roadside mechanic and has been responsible for the maintenance of the vehicle for the past four years, was suspected of the missing vehicle.
“The investigating team made a concerted effort to locate the suspect in Minna, but he was nowhere to be found.
However he was finally apprehended in Kaduna State on 18 September 2022 with the said vehicle after four days and during interrogation, he confessed that he stole the car from Dutsen-Kura and drove to Kaduna and Zamfara States to sell the vehicle, with the use of an imitated key which he made from the original key,” he stated.
Abiodun stated that the suspect confessed that he had stolen a Honda Accord vehicle at F-lay out area of Minna a few years back, and a Toyota RAV4 jeep from Barkin-Sale in the year 2019.
He added that all the cars, he stole from the state were sold in Kaduna State.
” Consequently, members of the public are advised to tread with caution and identify whom they entrust their property to, for maintenance and other purposes to avoid being dispossessed of such property, “he added.
The suspect is still under investigation and he will be arraigned in court for prosecution as soon as the investigation is concluded
