Two former spare parts dealers at the popular Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market in Mushin, Lagos State, Chigozie and Onyeka Emordi, have revealed how members of their gang allegedly made as much as N100,000 from vandalising vehicles across the state.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Lagos State Police Command, under the supervision of CSP Sunday Cirman, following intelligence-led operations.

Members of the gang allegedly moved to different parts of the state at night to vandalise vehicles, particularly those parked by the roadside or broken down. The gang also reportedly improvised a weapon from a Mercedes-Benz jack, which they used to threaten anyone who confronted them.

It was gathered that members of the gang could make as much as N100,000 from their operations and could strip targeted parts from a vehicle within 10 minutes.

Police sources said the syndicate targeted mainly Toyota vehicles, especially Corolla, Sienna and Hilux models, with brain boxes, push-button units, glove compartments and air-conditioning vents among their preferred items.

The gang members, who had all worked or operated in one capacity or another at the Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market, lived in different parts of Lagos but allegedly converged at night before proceeding to selected locations to vandalise vehicles.

Chigozie was arrested at a hotel in the Ijesha area of the state, where he had reportedly been lodging for about four months. He said he paid between N10,000 and N15,000 per night at the hotel.

The 46-year-old Anambra State indigene confessed to being a member of the gang and admitted participating in the vandalism of vehicles in different parts of Lagos State.

Chigozie said: “My name is Chigozie. I am 46 years old and I am from Anambra State. I was arrested and brought here by policemen from the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Lagos State Police Command because my gang members and I were vandalising people’s vehicles.

“I was in a hotel in Ijesha when the policemen came and arrested me. I was surprised because I didn’t know what had happened. When they told me it was because of what my gang members and I were doing, I protested. I didn’t know they had already arrested one of our gang members, Emeka, aka Rashidi.”

Chigozie continued: “When I got here and discovered that they already had one of us with them, I had no other option than to cooperate with them.

“I had been staying in that hotel for about four months. Initially, I was paying N10,000 per night, but after the place was renovated, the rate was increased to N15,000.”

Narrating how he allegedly joined the gang, Chigozie said: “I joined the gang after my spare parts shop was demolished by the government at Papa Ajao Auto Spare Parts Market. Life became difficult for me. I was in the village when our shops were demolished.

“When things became very difficult and I could no longer afford to take care of my wife and three children, I went to Ladipo Spare Parts Market to do ‘baranda’ — looking for buyers and sourcing whatever they needed from shop owners. That was where I met Oba, the leader of our gang.

“It was Oba who introduced me to vandalism. He used to come to the market to buy vehicle spare parts. When I told him about my financial difficulties, he introduced me to vehicle vandalism.”

The suspect said the proceeds from the stolen vehicle parts varied depending on what the gang was able to remove.

“We sold each vandalised brain box for N40,000 and a push-button unit for N10,000. There were days when I got N100,000 as my share, while on some days I got less than that,” he said.

Another arrested member of the gang, Onyeka Emordi, a 37-year-old indigene of Asaba, Delta State, also claimed he was introduced to vehicle vandalism by someone he met through the Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market.

Emordi said: “I was working as a casual driver at a flour mill in Lagos before we were disengaged. After the disengagement, it became very difficult for me to feed, so I went to Ladipo Market to hustle. It was at the market that I was introduced to vehicle vandalism.

“I was introduced to the crime in 2022 by Emeka, one of our customers at Ladipo Market. Our targets were Toyota Sienna, Corolla and Hilux vehicles. Our primary targets were vehicles parked by the roadside or broken-down vehicles.

“Our first operation was at a mechanic workshop around the Isolo area of the state. It was there that Emeka taught me how to remove brain boxes and push-button units.”

Explaining how the gang operated, Emordi said its members lived in different parts of Lagos but met at designated locations before embarking on operations.

We lived in different parts of Lagos State. I stayed in Ajegunle, Oba stayed in Igbo Elerin and Uba stayed in Ijesha. When we started, we used to meet at FESTAC, from where we would head to Egbeda and Agege,” he said.

Emordi denied that the gang used firearms, saying members relied on a Mercedes-Benz jack fashioned to resemble a gun.

“We didn’t use guns. We only had a Mercedes-Benz jack which looked like a gun. We used it to threaten our victims whenever they confronted us while we were vandalising their vehicles,” he said.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the arrest of the suspects, adding that the police were on the trail of other members of the gang.

She warned criminals in the state to turn a new leaf or be prepared to face the full weight of the law, stressing that the command, under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani, would leave no stone unturned in its efforts to rid Lagos State of criminal activities. (Saturday Tribune)