A 39-year-old retired soldier, alleged of always diverting his customers’ cars and money, has been arrested. The suspect, Salisu Bello, was arrested by detectives attached to the Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
Bello is one of the soldiers that fought against Boko Haram members. He was retired after he stepped on a landmine and sustained a severe injury. Bello, without mincing words, said that the police were not stating the case exactly as it happened.
He denied being a thief and explained that it was only twice he breached his contract with his clients. Explaining his first contract breach, Bello said it happened after he was drugged and robbed in Benin Republic. He wasn’t able to buy and deliver the car because his client’s money, which he had on him, was taken by those that drugged him. The second occurrence leading to police tagging him a serial thief was after he sold his customer’s Lexus Jeep.
He said that he used money from the sales of the vehicle to settle his personal debts. The police said: “The suspect is in the habit of diverting cars, whenever he was asked to deliver them to the owners.
He has been arrested in the past for diverting a car given to him at Seme Border Lagos State. He was supposed to deliver the car to its owner at Abuja. He sold the car and absconded. He was eventually arrested and the vehicle recovered.
“We received another report in April 2016 that Bello had absconded with a Toyota Lexus Salon car belonging to a top monarch in South West, valued N5million. Following the report, Bello was trailed to a remote village in Niger State, where he was arrested.”
Bello said: “Last year, I ran into trouble. Someone gave me money to buy a car for him. When I got to Benin Republic, I was drugged and the money stolen. I called the police in that country to assist me track the people that stole the money, but they couldn’t.
When I returned to Nigeria, the person who gave me the money got police to arrest me. We entered an agreement that I would pay back.” Further narrating his story, Bello said: “I enlisted into the Nigerian Army in January 15, 1996.
I retired in November 2012 after I sustained an injury in the operation codenamed, ‘Operation Lafia Dole,’ in Borno State. I stepped on a landmine in the forest and sustained serious injuries, which led to my quitting as a soldier.
After my retirement, I became a car dealer. I usually buy cars from Benin Republic and sell in Nigeria. When I was given a Lexus Jeep to deliver to the owner, I decided to sell it for N3million in Abuja. I used part of the money to settle my debt. I went to Minna where I was eventually arrested. I have told the police that if I was given a little time, I would repay the owner of the Lexus Jeep.”
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