By Charles Akinbode
A police patrol team in Osun State has arrested a mobile phone thief, Saheed Abioye, while returning from a church vigil.
The suspect popularly called Anini was arrested after running into the police patrol team named Anti-Cultism Squad of the Osun State Police Command.
Saheed, an earlier attended a church vigil at Alekuwodo in Osogbo and was returning home around 3.00am on Thursday when the police patrol team picked him up.
Speaking with newsmen at the state police command headquarters, where he was paraded, the Ibadan-based commercial bus driver said he returned to Osogbo from Ibadan, his base, to check on his child, who was living with a relation.
He said: “Before I checked on my child, I decided to visit a church in Alekuwodo area of Osogbo, where a vigil was being held. My plan was steal the phones of unsuspecting worshippers.
“I got to the church around 10.45pm and sat at the back, waiting for the opportunity to steal mobile phones of people who might want to charge at the back of the church.
“Unfortunately, I was unable to steal anything that fateful day because I slept off as soon as the vigil started and I did not wake up until around 3.00am.
“By the time I woke up, the vigil had ended and people were already going home, so I left the church premises. I was unable to steal anything.
“When I got to the Alekuwodo area, before Akindeko Market, I saw a police patrol vehicle and some anti-cultism operatives from Dugbe (divisional headquarters, Osogbo). They stopped me and asked what I had on me and I replied that I had my purse and ID card. They searched me and found no incriminating item.
“They took me back to the church to confirm if truly I was coming from there. When they asked the pastor, he said he did not see me in church, so they took me back to Dugbe Police Station.
“Later, my video was recorded and sent to other stations and some operatives, who had arrested me in the past, identified me as an expert in the theft of phones. I don’t steal cars, motorcycles or any other thing except phones.”
The suspect said he had stolen and sold over 18 phones from different parts of the state.
