A man in Lagos, Joseph Ada, has been arrested by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stealing his former boss’s car to finance his father’s burial. Ada, who had worked as a driver, reportedly duplicated the key to his ex-boss’s car before being sacked in June 2024.
According to a statement shared on the RRS’s official Facebook page, Ada stole the vehicle, a 2015 Toyota Camry, on Wednesday morning from where it was parked in the Osapa London area of Lekki. He then drove to Ikeja with the intention of selling the car. However, his plan was foiled by police officers acting on intelligence.
The statement from the police revealed the details of the arrest: “Around 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad arrested one Ada Joseph, 27, in Ikeja, Lagos for trying to sell his former boss’s car. Ada stole the Toyota Camry from where it was parked in Osapa, Lekki around 7:00 a.m. By 11:00 a.m., he was in the Central Business District, Alausa, attempting to sell the vehicle.”
Ada had worked for his boss for about a year before being dismissed in June. Unknown to his former employer, the suspect had duplicated the car key while still employed, and he used this copy to carry out the theft.
Also Read:
- Former FCMB manager sentenced to 121 years imprisonment for fraudulent diversion of funds
- Nigerian Air Force Releases Air Personnel After Being Detained Over Comedy Skits
When questioned, Ada confessed that his motive was to raise money for his father’s burial.
“The suspect confessed to the crime and disclosed that he wanted to use the proceeds of the sale to bury his late father,” the statement explained.
The car owner was informed of the theft after Ada’s arrest, and both the suspect and the vehicle were handed over to the Lagos State Command for further investigation.
This incident is not the first of its kind in Lagos. In a similar case earlier this year, the Lagos State Police Command apprehended a 36-year-old man, Amos Daniel, who stole his employer’s car on the very day he was hired as a driver.
Daniel claimed he took the car to his church to give a testimony of what he called “God’s miraculous provision.”