Car theft: When owning car is burden

Car owners in Abuja and its environs have to literally chain their cars to their waist to avoid it developing wings and flying away from where it is parked even in broad day light and in very busy parts of the territory. PAUL OKAH writes on the rising cases of car theft, losses motorists whose cars are burglarized incur and efforts to curb the menace.

This is not the best of times for vehicle owners in the FCT as many of them are losing sleep over incessant car theft within the metropolis. The emerging trend seems to be a recurring decimal around office areas, hotels, markets and shopping complexes.

Worse still, security agents appear to be helpless as the number of stolen cars recovered from criminals cannot be said to be commensurate to the losses, even as some of the recoveries by security agents are by accident rather than planned operations to recover the stolen vehicles.

Blueprint Weekend checks revealed that the hoodlums may have perfected ways of evading security checks.

Preferred brands

Writing on the situation on October 22, this year, Femi Ogunshola of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that Abuja has become the new abode of car thieves, a situation hitherto linked to cities like Lagos. He specified the brand of cars hoodlums look out for.

He said: “Do you live in Abuja and drive a Toyota or Mazda vehicle? An extra security measure could save you the trouble of being a victim of car theft.

“Car thieves are on the prowl in the FCT, the nation’s capital; with Toyota, Mazda and other fuel consumption friendly vehicles as their targets. Being a victim of car theft is devastating; the shock, trauma and confusion that envelope the victim is usually harrowing.”

Our correspondent’s check also indicated that users of Toyota brand of cars were the most affected when it comes to car theft in Abuja. This is as victims cut across professions including members of uniformed organisations and security agencies.

Recounting his experience, an immigration officer, Ayo Adigun, said he drove his Toyota Camry car to a pharmaceutical shop at Federal Housing Lugbe, on a Saturday evening to purchase drug.

However, when he returned to where he had packed the car it had disappeared. Confusion, anxiety and endless questions enveloped the officer.

Adigun immediately went to the Divisional Police Station, Lugbe, to lodge a complaint, but was stunned, as a Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officer also came to report the theft of his car, a Toyota Camry as well.

He said though the police promised to recover the car, their effort had not yielded any fruit.

Journalists not spared

Also, narrating her experience, a journalist Tina Auta, whose Toyota Corolla car was also stolen while she was attending an official assignment at the Federal Secretariat, Central Business District, Abuja, said the situation was disturbing.

According to her, when she got to the secretariat for her assignment on September 30, she had asked for direction to the ministry from those sitting around the car park and was convinced that one of those people may have been involved directly or indirectly to the disappearance of her car.

She said, “I parked the car at the Ministry of Health Car Park around 1pm to keep an appointment at the Ministry of Women Affairs, ahead of the Independence Day celebration. I spent less than 20 minutes because the appointment was cancelled but I did not see my car at the point I parked it.”

She said when she raised the alarm that she couldn’t find her car where she parked it some people around advised her to enquire from the FRSC office at the secretariat. The road safety officers as they are usually called were said to be in the habit of towing vehicles away without the knowledge of the owners.

However, when she confirmed that the vehicle had not been towed she was asked to formally lodge a complaint at the Federal Secretariat Police Division.

She said there has been no positive lead to the recovery of the car.

In a similar way, a Toyota Camry car belonging to Mr Sam Ogbeifun of Silverbird television was stolen at the Federal Secretariat Park and was yet to be located.

Ogbeifun’s experience was not much different from that of his female colleague.

According to him, he had parked the vehicle in the car park to attend an assignment at the secretariat, however when he was done the vehicle was nowhere to be found. Like Tina, he was advised to check the FRSC office before lodging stolen vehicle complaint.

For the Bureau Chief, Abuja bureau of the PUNCH Newspapers, Adetayo Olalekan, a stop at the First Bank Headquarters,  Coomasie House, cost him his Toyota Camry car belonging.

Adetayo had parked his car in front of the bank September 6, to withdraw some money from the ATM when the car stolen leading to the loss of valuables including an iPad, documents, hair clipper, house keys, four shirts, documents and N5,000 cash.

“I parked the car in front of the First Bank and I went to the ATM gallery but I observed that the machine was not functional, so I left. When I got to the park, my car was nowhere to be found.

“Initially, I thought it was towed away by FRSC officials but checks at their car dump at Eagle Square indicated that they did not carry out a towing operation around the bank’s premises,” he said.

Blueprint Weekend gathered that several cars belonging to bank customers had been stolen from the parking lot despite the presence of private security guards and policemen.

Hospitals as hot spots

It was a devastating experience for Malam Abubakar Muhammed, who was at the Maitama General Hospital to welcome his new born baby, when his Toyota Corolla car was stolen in within the hospital premises.

Muhammed had parked his car in the visitor’s parking space in the hospital to visit his wife who had been delivered of a baby, but at the end of the visit he discovered the car had been removed from where it was parked.

“I immediately reported to the nearest police station, but it was an exercise in futility as the police told me that car theft and especially Toyota brands had become a recurring decimal in the FCT,” he said.

Worsening situation

In a chat with Blueprint Weekend an FCT resident Pastor Harrison said that residents, especially car owners, were living in fear because of activities of criminals in the nation’s capital.

He said that the inability of the police to recover stolen cars emboldens criminals to steal cars, especially low-fuel-consuming cars in the metropolis.

According to him, the vehicles appear to disappear into thin air because most of the stolen car are dismantled and sold to second hand car spare parts dealers.

He said: “I have never fallen victim to car theft, but as a motorist I have stumble on people sharing their unpalatable experiences. In fact, I have a device in my car that I remove anytime I am through with my businesses for the day and no spare key can be used to move the vehicle once I remove the device.

“It is a sad thing that law enforcement agents are not doing much to curb the menace of car theft in the FCT, leading to other criminals gaining courage to perpetuate all sorts of crime that has led to people living in fear.

“The stolen cars are usually dismantled and sold as second hand spare parts to dealers. Therefore, the police can as well look in that directions because it appears those who steal these cars have those to dismantle them as well as ready buyers.”

Porous security

What baffles most car owners and victims of car theft is that speed with which the cars disappear and often not recovered, despite timely report to the police.

However, an investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo in his Reporter’s Diary said that a stolen car can be driven out of Abuja to any part of the country as long as the thief has enough money to bribe security agents along the way.

In a publication in an online medium entitled Reporter’s Diary: With N46,000 bribe, I drove a ‘stolen’ car from Abuja to Lagos, and back, Soyombo said that the roadblocks mounted by security agents on Nigerian roads were just for extortion of motorists and not necessarily to nab car thieves and other criminals.

The article read in part: “Over two days in April, investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo drove the equivalent of a stolen vehicle from Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, to Lagos, the country’s commercial hub. Not only did he arrive Lagos safely with the car, he returned to Abuja scot-free with it and this is despite passing through a whopping 86 checkpoints in a journey of over 1,600km that lasted a cumulative 28hours 17minutes.

“In Nigeria, where highway policing is lucrative and security officials view motorists as ATMs rather than road users, anything is possible, including driving the equivalent of a stolen vehicle from one end of the country to another, and back, with a N46,000-envelope.

 “There is hardly any Inspector General of Police in recent times who hasn’t ordered a dismantling of highway roadblocks nationwide. But till date, roadblocks are a permanent feature of highway travel, the popular argument being that they are crucial to apprehending car thieves, armed robbers and kidnappers.”

Continuing, he said: “Now that there is sufficient proof that uniformed men have converted the roadblocks to ATMs, shall we ask the government to dismantle the roadblocks, at the risk of granting free pass to armed robbers and kidnappers? “Or shall we retain the roadblocks, consequently allowing uniformed men to continue milking motorists with their cash-for-pass policy. We’re at crossroads, aren’t we? But there is a way out, and it is to eat our cake and have it! We will not dismantle the roadblocks, yet we will not retain the evil men.

“First, all security agencies need to embark on an aggressive value-building campaign on the ills of bribery; security agents have to understand that it’s a vicious circle. Setting criminals free, in exchange for bribes, will not only destroy the country but will indirectly compromise the security of someone dear to them, whether they find out or not.

“After that, the hierarchies of these agencies need to set up their independent, investigative task forces to routinely patrol checkpoints while in mufti in order to identify the recalcitrant officers, sack them and prosecute them in accordance with the law. It is not as easy as it seems on paper; but if our leaders truly have the will, they will surely find a way.”

‘Recoveries are made’

Speaking to Blueprint Weekend on the issue, Head of Enlightenment and Safety Unit of FCT Vehicle Inspection Officers, Mr Kalu Emetu, said the directorate had, in the course of discharging its duties, stumbled on cars not belonging to the acclaimed drivers.

He said: “We have sometimes recovered stolen vehicles in the course of doing our duties. We insist that drivers must provide their contacts, especially phone numbers and residential address, whenever registering a vehicle.

“This helps us when we stumble on cars that cannot be properly accounted for. To be on the safe side, we insist on police extract, court affidavit and other documents for anybody wishing to do change of ownership.

“It is not enough to come and tell us that you have already been captured in our system. There should be a documentary evidence to prove you are the owner and also to exonerate the officer that is to carry out the service, so that he won’t be collaborating with criminals.

“At other times, our Recovery Unit has recovered stolen vehicles abandoned on the road. They drive round town and move vehicles not properly parked to our office.

“In the course of doing that, we discover that many of the vehicles were stolen by car snatchers and abandoned after using them for criminal activities, whereas the owners had reported to the police and have been searching for their vehicles. Once the owners identify their vehicles and prove ownership, they claim them.

“However, if it is a criminal that brought such a vehicle, he is nabbed. In a nutshell, we recover stolen vehicles either during documentation or when they’re abandoned on the road by criminals.”

Police react

In a statement made available to Blueprint Weekend on Tuesday, October 29, Deputy Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of FCT Police Command, ASP Maria Yusuf, said the police was doing its best to rid the FCT of criminal elements.

She said the command has recovered and continues to recover stolen vehicles.

The statement read in part: “Following separate coordinated operations launched by the Command to check car theft 11 suspected stolen cars have been recovered from three notorious car snatching syndicates operating in some parts of Abuja.

“Some notorious suspects arrested in connection with the crime include: Suleiman Isa, Paul Emmanuel, Vandi Audu, Safiyanu Sale, Charles Ugwu, Biliya Uba, Michael Emmanuel Chibueze and Chinwe Ubani all male.

“The exhibits recovered from the smashed syndicates are: one silver colour Toyota Corolla with registration number AAA 618 DK, ash coloured Toyota Corolla with reg. no. KRD 737 BG; golden coloured Toyota Camry with reg. no. LND 952 CN; and blue coloured Toyota Corolla with reg. no. KUJ 492 BE.”

Others are: “Dark blue Peugeot 406 with reg. no. FGE 50 BF; one Mazda 626 without registration no; golden coloured Toyota Camry with reg. no. LKJ 660 AV; green coloured Toyota Camry reg. no. HD 573 ABC; maroon coloured Toyota Sienna reg. no. SAN 444 AU and silver coloured Peugeot 307 no registration number.”

The command said, “In its effort to get rid of crime and criminality as well as reassure residents of safety, the FCT Police Command has continued with the Joint Counter Kidnapping Operation along Kuje, Abaji, Kwali and Rubochi axis.

“The Joint Operation comprising the Police and other security agencies is targeted at arresting and destroying the hideouts of hoodlums perpetuating these heinous acts.

“The operation will not stop until kidnapping and other vices are permanently nipped in the bud in the FCT. While reiterating its dedication to providing maximum security in the FCT, the Command is urging residents and stakeholders to report all suspicious movements/activities around them.

“In case of emergency contact the Command through any of these numbers: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 and 08028940883.”

Self help as panacea

The Sales Manager Nethinim Technologies, Mr Ebube Nwafor, urged car owners to get a pedal lock, steering lock, gear lock, car tracker and a comprehensive insurance.

He decried the high level of ignorance about car tracking, adding that some people do not know where to go and install car tracker, stressing the need to install car tracker, which he noted was not too expensive.

Nwafor said that the main function of tracker is to prevent a car from being stolen; adding that if stolen even at a gun point, with tracking device it could be recovered.

He said that most cars with tracking devices stolen were recovered by the company, and advised car owners to install trackers in their vehicles as safeguard.

He said: “There is a tracker that goes for as low as N40,000, and when you take a look at the price, compare  to the amount the vehicle was bought, it will be better to install the car tracker in the vehicle. This tracker can be transferred from one car to the other.

“The life span of this tracker is up to 15 years, so if you use N40, 000 to install a tracker in a vehicle, and still use it for another vehicle, it is worth it,” he said.

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