Police arrest car snatcher with 12 vehicles in Rivers

A suspected car snatcher in Rivers State, Uche Ani, from Amuzu in Enugu State has said that hardship forced him into robbing people of their vehicles at gunpoint.

Ani, who was among nine suspected armed robbers and kidnappers arrested by the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, told newsmen that though he was a member of a non-governmental organisation, living became very difficult for him.

Twelve vehicles, all Toyota brands, which were snatched from motorists in Rivers State, were recovered by the police from Ani, who the State Police Command also identified as an ex-convict.

The suspect confessed that he was able to rob people of their vehicles and sell them immediately through a friend of his, Andrew Atuse, a fake soldier who was also arrested.

Ani, who claimed to be studying Accounting on a part-time basis in one of the tertiary institutions in Port Harcourt, said he started snatching cars over a year ago, adding that the proceeds were used to solve some of his financial problems.

“I went into car robbery because of hardship and the devil pushed me into it. When we snatch the vehicles, we give it to him (pointing at the fake soldier) because he always posed as a soldier.

“We snatched majority of the cars in Port Harcourt. We snatched some of the vehicles at gunpoint while others were taken away where they were parked with master keys.

“The military man (fake soldier) carries the cars. It is the Army man that brought us into this business. Like I said, when we collect the cars, we give it to him (pointing at the fake soldier). I am an undergraduate,” he said.

Atuse, on his part, claimed that the identification card and the Army cap he used in parading himself as a soldier were given to him by a soldier.

He confirmed that he usually received stolen vehicles from Ani and sold them, adding that he was able to use his fake identity as a soldier to achieve the feat.

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“The first car they snatched after I was introduced to them (the gang); I bought the vehicle from them and resold it. One soldier assisted me by doing the Army ID card for me.

“He (soldier) also gave me a military cap. The last time I saw him was over a year ago. I don’t know how they got their guns. I have stolen eight vehicles on my own,” Atuse, who is from Edo State, added.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Zaki Ahmed, explained that apart from the stolen vehicles recovered from Ani and Atuse in the Location area of Port Harcourt, the FSARS operatives also recovered one locally-made pistol, two cartridges.

He said, “Operatives of FSARS on 17th of July, 2018, at about 07.45 hours, acting on credible intelligence, traced two suspected armed robbers to their hideout in Ada-George, Port Harcourt, where they were arrested with military accoutrements.

“The robbers arrested are Andrew Atuse, who is a fake soldier; Uche Ani, an ex-convict. They are helping the Police in investigation and will be in court soonest.”