The Economic and Financial Crime Commission on Tuesday said it had arrested a former councilor in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Samuel Opeyemi Adeojo.
According to EFCC, Adeojo was fingered as the leader of a car theft syndicate notorious for stealing vehicles from car dealers through pretence as genuine buyers.
Until his arrest recently, the EFCC had been on his trail after series of petitions against his gang’s criminal activities were considered by the Commission’s Ibadan zonal office.
EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren said no fewer than three cases of car theft have been established against the syndicate, with all the vehicles involved recovered and kept in the Commission’s custody in Ibadan.
Investigations revealed that the gang deploys similar pattern of tricks to steal vehicles from their victims.
According to EFCC’s findings, Adeojo often pretends to be a medical doctor, adopting different names and different institutions as his place of work to appear responsible and create a false sense of confidence to penetrate the victims.
One of the many cases reported involved a Toyota Avensis wagon car in which Adeojo claimed to be one Dr. Gboyega Omojola of the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
The case was reported to the EFCC, Ibadan office on March 23, 2019, by Tunde Adejuwon, an Ibadan-based car dealer.
According to the petitioner, ‘Dr. Omojola’ had come in company of one Babatunde Oluwatope Oni, his supposed driver, to his stand to negotiate for the car and later agreed to pay N2,000,000 (Two Million Naira) for it.
After the agreement, ‘Dr. Omojola’ issued a N2m Skye Bank Cheque ostensibly in favour of the dealer and ordered his ‘driver’ to pay it into his Zenith Bank account at Bodija, Ibadan.
