22nd September, 2011
A commuter bus (danfo) conductor, Ayo Egbewale, 22, has been arrested by the police at Adekunle Police Division, Yaba, Lagos, southwest Nigeria and arraigned before the Yaba Magistrate’s Court on a one-count charge of stealing a Volkswagen kombi bus.
The police alleged that the accused on 19 June, 2011 stole his master’s bus with registration number SX 539 AKD valued at N750,000 from a car wash and drove it to Sango Ota in Ogun State.
The owner of the vehicle, Adesoji Manager was said to have dropped the vehicle at a car wash at Oko Agbon area of Makoko, Yaba, but the conductor was said to have taken the keys and driven the bus away.
He allegedly drove it straight to Ogun State and displayed it for sale, but nobody bought the vehicle since June till September, 2011 when he was arrested following a tip off from a source who sighted the vehicle at Sango Ota. The source reportedly informed the owner who reported the matter to the police.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to stealing the bus. he said he wanted to sell it and use the proceeds to better his life.
”I was tempted by the devil to steal the bus and sell it to use the proceeds to buy my own vehicle and start using it in Sango Ota, but I never knew it was a wrong advice from the devil.
”Greed also contributed to my action, but nobody agreed to buy the bus as people who came to price the bus were always asking me different questions before the police arrested me with the bus,” he lamented.
The accused pleaded guilty to the charge and the presiding magistrate, Mrs. Demi Ajayi, adjourned the matter till 5 October.