Crime

Police Inspector Arrested for Alleged Car Theft in Kogi

Published by Tope Fakinlede on July 17th, 2024.

Police Inspector Arrested for Alleged Car Theft in Kogi

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the arrest and detention of Police Inspector Aminu Muhammed on charges of robbery. Muhammed is accused of robbing residences near his duty station at the ‘C’ Division in Lokoja, the state capital.

State police spokesperson William Ayah confirmed the incident on Tuesday, stating that Inspector Muhammed is currently in detention. Commissioner of Police Bertrand Onuoha has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the alleged misconduct.

The inspector’s luck ran out due to the activities of a notorious gang that specialized in robbing houses and stealing household items and cars in the state. A source revealed that a stolen car was discovered at the workshop of Muhammed’s panel beater, who was in the process of changing the car’s color in Ochadamu, Ofu Local Government Area.

Witnesses familiar with the vehicle and aware of the June 14, 2024, robbery at the owner’s house raised the alarm upon seeing the car. The car’s number plate had been changed to an Abuja number, and Muhammed presented a backdated car dealer’s receipt from 2020 as evidence of purchase.

The panel beater had already primed the car for a color change when the Quick Response Unit (QRU) of the Police Area Command, Idah, apprehended him. Upon taking the panel beater to the ‘A’ Division in Lokoja, it was discovered that the gang responsible for the robbery had already been arrested for another crime.

One of the gang members, who was on the police wanted list for other offenses, confessed to the robbery and implicated Inspector Muhammed as the mastermind. He revealed that the gang was contracted specifically to steal the car for the inspector.