Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have smashed a thieving gang allegedly run by only family members.

According to the police, two have been arrested, while one is on the run. Police described them as “family of criminals.”

The suspects are Aderemi Ali and Habbi Ali (brothers) as well as their cousin, Olaseum Ismali. Police said that while Ismali burgled shops, Aderemi specialised in stealing tricycles, which he usually gives to Habbi to sell.

Ismali (31) was alleged to have broken into several shops across major states, within South-West part of the country. Ismali was arrested by operatives of IRT, alongside Aderemi.

Ismali blamed his father, a Muslim cleric, for his criminal activities. According to him, if not that his father married too many wives and couldn’t take care of him and his siblings; he wouldn’t have taken to crime. Ironically, Ismali has three wives and uses proceeds accrued from breaking into shops to take care of his wives and children. He confessed to have also built a house through money made from stealing.

A police source said: “Ismali has burgled several shops in Ogun, Osun, Oyo and Lagos states. The suspect specialised in stealing several bags of rice and sugar. He also has a penchant for stealing generators, electronic appliances and vehicle batteries, among other things.”

It was learnt that Ismali ran into trouble recently after IRT operatives, led by a by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, got information about his activities and kept him under surveillance. He was eventually arrested after police arrested Aderemi.

The police source added: “Ismali would visit a target shop and survey the quantities of goods in the shop. When it’s night time, he would drive close to the shop and wait. He waits until the shop has closed for the day, and when he is sure the shop has no security guards, he strikes, carting away as many goods as his vehicle could carry.

“Ismali is from a family of criminals. IRT operatives used him as bait to catch Aderemi. It may interest you to know that Ismali and Aderemi are cousins. Ismali burgled people’s shops across the South-West, while Habbi, who is yet to be arrested, specialised in stealing tricycles. He hands them over to his elder brother, Aderemi to sell.”

Speaking with journalists, Ismali said: “I dropped out of school when I was in junior secondary school (II) because my mother couldn’t afford to pay my school fees. My father was an Islamic cleric and had too many wives. My mother was left with the sole responsibility of caring for my siblings and I. I went to learn ‘aluminium engineering’ in 2010, but while an apprentice, I impregnated my girlfriend.”

The suspect continued: “There was so much pressure on me. I had to quit my apprenticeship. I went into commercial cycling. My wife finally walked out of the relationship. But I am still paying the child’s school fees. In 2015, I met Olakunle in Epe. I carried him on my motorcycle and we got talking. He told me that he was into stealing from shops. Our first operation together was at Osogbo. We were three that went for that operation. We looted a shop and stole 12 bags of sugar.

“I was given N12,000 as my share. We went for another operation at Ikire, Osun State, where we stole a generator. I was given N5,000 after it was sold. The third operation was at Ibadan; we stole 10 bags of rice. I was given N15,000 after it was sold. I had a fight with Alimi and I returned to Epe, to meet my brothers. They gave me N200,000, which I used to buy a car. I started using the car as a cab. I plied Ibadan to Ibeju-Ode route. After a while, I became greedy and started thinking that the money I was making from the taxi job was poor, so I went back to breaking and entry.”

He recalled that his first operation, after quitting taxi driving, was at Ijebu-Ode. He said that he went with Kehinde Osha. They stole 15 bags of sugar and sold them. He disclosed that he gave Osha N40,000 out of the N150,000.”

He was having a field day, breaking and entering different shops, cutting across different states, when he was arrested and sent to Ikoyi Prison. He stayed in the prison for two months, but was later granted bail. But Ismali returned to his old ways.

He said: “I target less busy areas. Before I strike, I take time to monitor and look for shops that have large quantities of bags of rice and sugar. When I identified a shop, I sleep close to it, to know the level of security around there. If security guards are there and saw me, I lie that I was a traveller, caught by the night and wanted to sleep until daylight to continue my journey. If there are no security guards, I break into the targeted shop and cart away bags of rice or sugar.”

He also explained that most times when he steals tyres, he sells them to Yakubu Kareem, residing in Ibadan.

He said when he burgled a shop in Ijebu-Ode, he stole 25 brand new tyres and 75 batteries, which he sold to Aderemi Ayoade. (New Telegraph)

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