Two policemen in the dock for stealing colleague’s car

                        
Two police officers, Sunday Ibrahim and Zakari Abdulahi, have been dragged to the Senior Magistrates' Court in Karu, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for allegedly conniving with one Saidu Abdul to steal a car belonging to a fellow police officer,John Yiltie, at the City Gate Police Barracks, Abuja.

The owner of the car, Yiltie, said he had parked the vehicle, an Honda Academy, at the premises of the African Church in Durumi, a suburb of the city on 8 June, 2014, only to discover it had been stolen when he returned to pick it.
He narrated that he promptly reported the matter to Garki Police Station from where the matter was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, FCT Command, for further action.

The bubble, however, bust on the suspects when the police commenced investigation into the matter. The first set of suspects who were arrested include Luke Musa, Niyi Adedeji and Peter Aku.

They were traced through a BlackBerry chat and other phone conversations. In the course of investigation, Sunday Ibrahim, a police officer who was recently transferred from Kaduna Command to FCT Command, was named as an accomplice.

While being interrogated by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS) in Abuja, the policeman allegedly confessed that he did not steal the car but merely escorted the prime suspect, Saidu Ibrahim, with the car to Kaduna. At Kaduna, he continued, the car was sold for N250,000 as against the original price of N1.3 million.

When John Yiltie gave witness in court, the prime suspect changed his initial plea of not guilty and pleaded guilty to the charge. He pleaded for mercy and forgiveness. The Magistrate, Hadiza Rabiu Shagari, in the light of the prime suspect’s plea, summarily tried and convicted him of the offence. She sentenced him to one month imprisonment or a fine of N3,000.

Meanwhile, the stolen car has been recovered and returned to the owner on bond while the two police officers were remanded in prison custody till the next adjourned date.