Photo: Church member steals pastor’s car in Oyo

The Oyo state police command have arrested and paraded one Wasiu Adetunji Lawal, a middle aged man who went to a church in search of a wife but ended up stealing and selling off the vehicle of the church pastor in Ibadan, Oyo state. Paraded along with Wasiu Adetunji Lawal, Isiaka Babatunde, Jamiu Rahman, Wasiu Adelani and Abdulazeez Ahmed.

Narrating what happened to Tribune, the victim, Pastor Akorede Aderounmu said

"The suspect (Lawal) came to our church, looking for a lady to marry. After a while, he got close to me. One day, he said he wanted to help me repair something in my car. He had earlier said that he was an auto dealer. He disappeared with my vehicle for three months before it was recovered from the person he sold it to in Kaduna. Before his arrest, I called him severally but he always told me that he would soon bring the car, unknown to me that he had already sold it. I never instructed him to sell the car as he claimed.”.

The state Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade who paraded the suspect and his accomplices, said that Lawal went away with the Toyota Sequia SUV belonging to one Pastor John Akorede Aderounmu under the pretext that he wanted to carry out some repairs, only to abscond with the vehicle.

“The suspect sold the vehicle to a criminal receiver in Kaduna State without the knowledge and the consent of the owner, and refused to respond to the owner’s calls when he demanded for the return of his vehicle.” Oyebade stated.

He added that when Lawal was arrested, he confessed to have sold the vehicle, leading to the arrest of other suspects. Exhibits recovered from the gang include a Toyota Sequiao SUV, 13 vehicle particulars, nine forged Customs paper, number plate with registration number BH 299 BKA and other documents.

When interrogated, the suspect, Lawal denied stealing the car, claiming it was the Pastor who asked him to sell the vehicle and he had given him an additional N400,000 to add to the N800,000 which he realized from the sale. He could not however respond when asked why he wasn't answering the Pastor's call after collecting the car.