Spiritual Things! Car Thief Says He Can't Curb The Urge To Steal

A suspected car thief who spent 8 years in the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, 37-years-old Kazeem Kosemani, has gone back to the crime that put in the prison in the first place; and he has been arrested again. Narrating his predicament, Kosemani told the police at the Lagos State Police Command that he just can't seem to stop the urge to steal even after spending time in jail.

According to the panel beater, the 8 months in Kirikiri Prison could not stop him from going back to stealing, believing he may have some spiritual problems that keeps pushing him to steal.

"I spent eight months in Kirikiri Prison, but I still came out to continue stealing cars.

I was arrested last year for car snatching. I was granted bail by the court, through the intervention of my uncle.

My uncle paid to get me bailed, but I don’t know how much."

After he was granted bail, Kosemani said that his uncle refused to accommodate him in his house, and this forced him to sleep in buses at motor parks.

He also confessed that he has a master key with which he steals cars easily from where they are parked. His cup was full when operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), of the Lagos Command arrested him at his hideout.

"I use master key to open doors of cars I want to steal. I also use the key to start the vehicle. My friend, Aboki, introduced me to the business. I bought the master key for N12,000.

I prefer to operate at night and in the early hours of the day. I use the key to test the cars at night. If the key can start the car, I will come back around 4am to move it. I have removed only three cars – at Ijesha, Ajao Estate and Ilasa areas of Lagos State.

I sold a Toyota 3X for N35,000 because the engine was faulty. I sold the second car for N150,000. But Aboki gave me N100,000.

The third car was bought by a guy for N35,000. He said he would be going to Ladipo Market to dismantle it and sell the parts."

Kosemani's downfall came in the shape of a tracking device installed in the car which led the police to sniff him out.

The police said:

"The suspect is a one-man car stealing gang. He said he had removed only five vehicles, but we believe he has removed more.

He spent eight months in prison, but he did not learn anything from his incarceration. Immediately, he was granted bail, he went back to his old ways."

On how he was arrested, Kosemani said that a friend he simply identified as Ayeke, gave him a Toyota Serena car to sell. He, however, said he did not know it was a stolen one. Kosemani said that 18 days after the car had been with him, policemen came to arrest him. According to him, it was after his arrest that the police told him that it was stolen a stolen car.