- As police burst syndicate behind stealing of dignitaries’ phones at Amosun’s daughter’s wedding, PDP’s convention
- I steal to feed my 9 kids, another confesses
By CHIOMA IGBOKWE
“Power to the people”, Alhaji Kolawole Akinbode chanted as he quickly scanned through the pockets of dignitaries standing behind former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was addressing the crowd at the recent convention of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at Abuja.
Posing as a journalist from a non-existing media organisation known as Optimist Magazine, Akinbode aged 50 and his gang members were arrested by detectives attached to the Police Intelligence Response Team(IRT). The detectives have been on the trail of Kolawale after he was identified as the one who picked several pockets of dignitaries including Ooni of Ife, HRM Enitan Ogunwusi at the recent wedding of Ayomide, daughter of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, to her heartthrob, Oladipupo, son of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
His other gang members, all in their 50s, were identified as Umar Tahir Abba, Musa Auwalu, Alhaji Abdulahi Muhammed and Mohammed Sale.
On how he was identified, a police source told Saturday Sun that they got a complaint that Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Tunde Fowler’s Blackberry phone was stolen during the wedding. As a result, IRT operatives deployed on the case were able to trace the buyer of the phone to Edo State. The buyer was able to identify the Kolawole as the one who sold the phone to him.
Caught in the act
Through intelligence gathering, the detectives learnt that he had made plans to invade the PDP convention pretending to be a journalist. “He was initially spotted right behind Governor Fayose among journalists that were interviewing him. After some minutes, he joined the crowd behind former President Jonathan and boldly followed him to the platform where he addressed the crowd. He smartly picked the pockets of the dignitaries on the platform and was about stepping down when detectives who were monitoring him arrested him.”
Realising that his game was over, Kolawole confessed to the crime and also identified his gang members who were also at the convention ground.
At the age of 50, Kolawole claimed that his quest for quick money started 15 years ago when he lost his parents. “I am an orphan and there was no one to teach me morals. I found myself in the company of bad boys and I started taking hard drugs. They were the ones who taught me how to pick pockets. They explained that if the police catches me, I will not be sent to prison as long as I return all the things that I stole.
“I made so much progress and managed to go to school. I even got enough money to travel to Mecca for 2005 Hajj. This is why I am called Alhaji Kolawole. While in school, I met a friend who is a journalist and he explained to me how I can make money as a freelance journalist. I initially attached myself to one local newspaper in Ibadan and when there is an event, I would attend. At the end of the event, they will give journalists N5,000 each. The highest I got was N10,000 and as an expert in picking pockets, I was making more money.
“I decided to take advantage of my contact as a freelance journalist to get information about every event in Nigeria, especially Lagos and Abuja. As a journalist, you can enter anywhere with an identity card and no one will suspect you at all. I also started an association of adults who are good at picking pockets. I will alert them, so that they will be at the same event. If there is a target that needs distraction, they will provide it and I will be able to steal without anyone detecting,” he said.
Modus operandi
On how the Ogun governor’s wedding theft was perfected, Kolawole said that he also gained access posing as a journalist. “As soon as the Acting President arrived, a lot of dignitaries wanted to draw his attention, so they were not conscious of what was happening around. They were all rushing to give the man a handshake. This was when I smartly stole some phones and N40,000 cash. It was when the police arrested me that I was told that one of the phones belongs to a very important man.”
He however denied stealing $13,000 during President Buhari’s daughter’s wedding last year. “I was not the one who stole 13,000 dollars during Aisha Buhari daughter’s wedding in Abuja mosque. I only got N70,000”
On how he managed to access such a high profile event, Kolawole said that no one can stop him from entering the mosque. “The Abuja mosque is an open place; all you need to do is to enter before the president gets to the mosque. I and several others entered the mosque as normal worshippers and got a strategic position. Any time the president is moving, the whole place will be rowdy as several big men will want to greet him.
“Everybody was wearing the flowing agbada, so while you are searching their pockets , they will not notice it because their attention is focused on the president. I got N70,000 just by picking the pocket of two dignitaries. It was one of us who succeeded in getting about 13,000 dollars. He built a house and bought a car from the loot.”
On the most recent event where he was caught, Kolawole decided to get press tag for easy access into the convention ground in Abuja. “There is no media house known as Optimist Magazine. Politicians respect journalists no matter the name of the media house. They did not investigate the letter and quickly gave me and four of my colleagues press tag.
“I started with Governor Fayose and his crowd of dignitaries but I did not get much. I immediately found my way behind former President Jonathan and joined him on the platform. I picked the pocket of almost all the dignitaries with him on the podium while they were chanting ‘power to the people’. I was about stepping down from the podium when policemen arrested me. I only got N30, 000 from their pockets”, he confessed.
Throwing more light on their modus operandi, Kolawole said that the secret behind their success is the way they dress and the caliber of people who are part of their syndicate. “The secret is to dress well and move with the crowd. Secondly, you need to recruit people who will watch your back. When you are sure of your target, you will give them signal and they will distract people around your target. You must have observed that all my people are matured. You will least suspect them except they are caught in the act.”
Plea for mercy
Begging for mercy, Kolawole promised to stop picking pocket if set free. “I have repented and I promise to look for a legitimate job. I am ready to return everything I stole to the owners”
I have 9 children and they are hungry
Another suspect, Abba aged 53 who could not hold back his tears pleaded with the police to release him or his children will die of hunger. The father of nine who hails from Mubi in Adamawa State lamented that there was no legitimate job that will pay him enough to sustain his children.
“I am married to only one wife and before I knew what was happening, she had already given birth to nine children. I decided to start stealing six years ago just to feed them. It was in the process that I met Kolawole and he invited me to several events. During the PDP convention, I made N30,000 before the police arrested me. Please, I am begging you in the name of Allah to let me go home and find food for my children. I used to be a driver but I lost my car to Boko Haram members when they attacked my community,” he pleaded in tears.