'How we stole cars in Nigeria, sold them off in Burkina Faso'

One of the five suspected members of a trans-border robbery gang paraded by the Oyo State police command recently was one Peter Taiwo.

The role of the 40-year-old was to facilitate the transfer of cars snatched at gun point by the syndicate to the receivers.

The receivers, in turn, would take the vehicles to their contact in Burkina Faso who would sell them to unsuspecting buyers in the neighbouring country.

Other suspects are Sheriff Amoo (25), Abiodun Oluwaseun (28), Salami Rasheed (50) and Kazeem Ibrahim (29).

In an exclusive interview with Tribune, Taiwo narrated how he joined the gang through one Alhaji from Ilorin.

His words;
“I am from Oyo town but I was born in Ibadan. On March 29, I called an Alhaji from Ilorin. I met him in Oyo prison. He used to receive cars from snatchers. I linked him with my syndicate members.

“One time, Alhaji sent some men to pick a vehicle. Our members had gone to snatch the car we wanted to give Alhaji. As I was waiting for them at a hotel in Ojoo, the police, who had arrested Alhaji’s boys, came with them to arrest me also. We went to meet Sheriff at Moniya and he was also arrested. I didn’t know the syndicate members. I only knew Bola who linked us.

“I met Bola in Oyo prison while I was there, and we met again in February this year at Sasa during the Fulani/Yoruba crisis. We exchanged numbers and he told me that he needed someone that would be buying cars from his gang. That caused me to contact Alhaji. I got N80,000 from Bola and Alhaji gave me N40,000.”