Christopher Oji
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a cat pusher and two others for theft.
The cat pusher nabbed for allegedly vandalising a truck; the two others were arrested for allegedly buying the truck’s parts from the truck pusher.
The suspects were picked by the operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) around Toyota Bus Stop, Oshodi.
The truck pusher, Ogbonna, 27, was arrested at dawn while coming from Ilasah. Recovered from his wheel barrow were a radiator, two heavy-duty batteries and four jerry cans filled with diesel.
Ogbonna in his confession to the police said that the truck radiator, two batteries and four diesel-filled jerry cans were handed over to him in Ilasa, Lagos, by two young men around 4 am on Friday.
He added that he was close to Ladipo Spare Parts Market, Oshodi, when the police stopped him. “I looked back and I didn’t see any of the guys that had engaged me to carry the items. This wasn’t the first time I would be helping them to carry materials like that to Ladipo. It was the fourth. I charged them N2,500 for these particular materials. At another time, I had collected N1,800 for such things.
“I used to wait for them to dispose the goods before they would pay me. I helped them in the past to convey eight jerry cans filled with diesel and batteries. They were sold off in Ladipo.”
The buyers, Leonard, 50, and Umoru,55 , confessed that they bought heavy-duty batteries and diesel oil from the suspects.
They also confirmed making payment ranging from N15,000 to N20,000 differently and separately for items brought for sale, but claimed that they did not know that the items were stolen.
The suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, for further investigations.
Commenting on the development, Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, stated that people who patronise criminals must be made to face justice. He added that without buyers of stolen items, there would be fewer thieves.