In the smuggling world, Hakeem Adetunji Adesina was known as a customs officer. Within the social circles, he paraded himself as a car dealer and transporter. From Cotonou in the Republic of Benin, to Lagos, where he resided and Osogbo, where he has one of his agents, Adesina lived a life of multiple identities.

But recently, security operatives from Osun State police command blew the lid off his alleged criminal activities. To them, Adesina was an unrepentant baron to car robbers and a strong member of a syndicate specializing in selling stolen vehicles.

He was paraded alongside one of his agents, based in Osogbo, Rasheed Kazeem, for receiving and selling stolen vehicles which he tagged used vehicles to his unsuspecting customers.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Solomon Olusegun, stated that his men, acting on a tip off from good-spirited members of the public on the alleged illegal activities of Kazeem, swung into action and uncovered the sources of his fleet of cars, some of which he has sold out.
The police boss disclosed that his team of crack detectives, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Mr. Gbola Adeyemi, succeeded in recovering four of the vehicles already sold out by Adesina.

The particulars of the recovered vehicles, which were also paraded included; a green Toyota Avalon car with chasis number 4T10FQ832Y4085853, engine number 8070225, which was recovered at Ikare, Ondo State; a black Honda Accord ‘EOD’ car, marked HZ 905 ABC with chasis number IHGCM66563A034693 and engine number o8CA1057510, which was recovered from Ede, Osun State.

Others included; a black colour Honda Accord ‘Baby Boy’ car with chasis number IHGCG1658XAO29124 and engine number J30A12056402 as well as a Navy blue colour Honda Civic car with Lagos State registration number KL 09 AAA. The car has SHHMAA87500U105872 as its chasis number and D152859767 as its engine number.
In a chat with Daily Sun, Kazeem, who lives at Biket area of Osogbo, disclosed that Adesina was the supplier of the vehicles. He confessed that one Folorunso, now late, connected him to Adesina last year.

“I don’t sell cars. I am not a car dealer but I help them sell whenever they bring the vehicles. It is not long that we started. We actually started last year. I was not into the business before. I was an Alfa and I was also dealing in Islamic wears.
“But there was a man called Folorunso. He is dead now. Folorunso died last year. I don’t know what killed him but I was made to know that he died of car accident.

“I did not know much of him. We only met once before he died. He used to bring cars from Cotonou. He would hand over the cars to some people who would now bring the cars to me to sell.
“I met Adesina through the late Folorunso. Folorunso was introduced to me by a friend of mine, who resides in London known as Heiz.

“All the vehicles have documents such that nobody will doubt their authenticity or suspect any foul play. But I agree that the cars were stolen ones,” Kazeem stated.
Adesina also confessed to being the one that brought all the recovered vehicles to Kazeem in Osogbo while corroborating Kazeem’s statement that one Folorunso connected the two of them last year.
“I am a transporter. I don’t receive stolen goods. I am a driver in Lagos. I used to assist people to bring Tokunbo cars from Cotonou. I am not a Customs officer but people call me so.

“We started last year and I have brought in more than five vehicles. Some people used to bring it down from Cotonou to Sango. My own job is to drive the vehicles down to Osogbo from Sango. Folorunso used to bring the vehicles to Sango from Cotonou”, Adesina stated.
A native of Ibadan, Oyo State, Adesina said he has been in the transport business for over 20 years before meeting the late Folorunso.
“I knew Kazeem in May, last year. I know him as a car dealer. He was introduced to me by one Folorunso. All the vehicles you see here were brought down last year. Our last operation was last year. We have not done anything this year”, he stated.
Olusegun assured that the remaining members of the syndicate would soon be caught as his men were on their trail.

Source: http://sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/june/29/national-29-06-2011-0021.html

This is a big eye openner for many.

calculusx:

When a deal is too good to be true, something is fishy. To Customers looking for extremely cheap cars, BEWARE

true talk

buyers beware!!!!

But really people is there a fool-proof way of telling if a car is stolen and resold here in Nigeria.I mean cars stolen within the country and re-cycled, for cars stolen in North America you probably can tell with the car identification, and with all the neat Nigerian used cars so readily available these days its a big worry.Either one finds out how or else folks might simply avoid Nigerian used cars completely and go for brand new or tokunbo!

But really people is there a fool-proof way of telling if a car is stolen and resold here in Nigeria.I mean cars stolen within the country and re-cycled, for cars stolen in North America you probably can tell with the car identification,  and with all the neat Nigerian used cars so readily available these days its a big worry.Either one finds out how or else folks might simply avoid Nigerian used cars completely and go for brand new or tokunbo!

AS far as I am aware there is nothing, no central database of all the cars on the road in Nigeria, which would be the first step, no mechanisms in place to stop the same car being registered over and over again in different states.

mastro:

AS far as I am aware there is nothing, no central database of all the cars on the road in Nigeria, which would be the first step, no mechanisms in place to stop the same car being registered over and over again in different states.

scary!I am reminded of a guy that had his car stolen only to find it with someone else some years later in a completely different state.the poor fella that bought the stolen car had to pay through his nose to get off the police case that followed,not to mention losing a car he supposedly bought legit!

Most buyers like Cheap cars.like I always advice pple when u buy a used car do a police report.