EXCLUSIVE: Police Arrest Royal Prince For Car Theft

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

One of the members of the royal family at Ideato North Local Government, Imo State, Prince Onyekachi, was today paraded at the Lagos State Criminal and Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, for car theft.

It was gathered that the 31-year old suspect was well versed in disarming car alarms with a particular master key and making away with the vehicles especially Camry saloon cars.

According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, the suspect had gone all the way to Port Novo in Cotonou and paid the sum of N170, 000 to learn how to steal cars using a master key.

She said, "From our investigation and the suspect's confession, we garnered that he had paid N170, 000 to learn the trade and he steals a minimum of two cars daily. 

"According to him, he started the business last year and he specialises only in stealing Toyota Camry cars. He would soon be charged to court."

Speaking to THISDAY, the suspect said he veered into the business after he was deported from Thailand last year. He said with the money he made from each sold car was deposited to enable him travel out again.

He said, "I am a member of a royal family in Ideato and  we are not into such business but I was forced to join because I needed money to travel to Asia. I was in Thailand with my white wife and daughter when I was deported.

"I needed to raise funds to travel back so I went to Cotonou and learnt how to disarm cars with my master key. Sometimes, I make up to N500,000 from each car and this depends on the model."

Speaking on his modus operandi he said, "I go round streets especially in FESTAC Town, Ikeja and Surulere and look for Camry cars parked on the streets and I then disarm the security if it has one.

"This master key was designed in such a way that it alerts me if a car has security. If its Nigerian security-fitted, I use the master key and disarm it but if its factory-fitted, I leave it because those ones are more difficult to break into."

On how he was arrested, he said he was called to deliver a car to a potential customer but was arrested by the police who had laid an ambush for him.