A car thief, Abubakar Mohammed, arrested for attempting to steal a Honda Civic in Niger state, has confessed and revealed why he engaged in the crime.
He narrowly escaped being lynched by an angry mob after being apprehended at the Kure Ultra Modern Market in Minna, the state capital.
Spokesperson of the Niger state command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said the police came to the rescue of the 40-year-old suspect following a distress call about the incident in the market.
The Public Relations Officer explained that the case is presently being investigated at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Minna.
He added that efforts are ongoing by the operatives of the command to proceed to Kaduna State for the possible arrest of Bashir Mohammed, who was allegedly a receiver of stolen vehicles.
The incident occurred on Thursday when Mohammed, a resident of Tudun-Fulani, Bosso, Bosso Local Government Area, attempted to drive the vehicle, with Reg No. KAG 371 AA, out of Kure Market from the car park.
Eyewitnesses said his action attracted mob action; however, he was rescued from the irate traders and arrested by police officers, who responded promptly.
During interrogation, Abubakar confessed to having removed the vehicle from the car park with the aid of a fabricated key. He said he needed money to build a house, to invest in farming in preparation for marriage.
He said; “I plan to take the vehicle to my usual receiver, one Bashir Mohammed of Mando area in Kaduna State.
” I needed more money for farming and to build a personal house in Wushishi to prepare myself for marriage. Presently, I have no wife. These are the reasons for the attempt to steal a car again in the market”.
The suspect further disclosed that before now, he had stolen a red Honda Civic car from the same market in March 2023.
“I sold the vehicle to the same Bashir in Kaduna at the rate of N200,000, which I used for shoe business at Kasuwa-Wanbai in Kano State,” Abubakar said.
