CRIME I stole my employer’s jeep to save my ailing mum – Suspect
A 26-year-old driver with a construction company in Lagos has admitted selling his company’s Hilux jeep to raise money to pay his mother’s medical bill.
The suspect, Rahim Sesan, who was arrested at the weekend by detectives for stealing his boss Hilux jeep, disclosed that he did so to save his ailing mother who needed blood transfusion in an undisclosed hospital.
The suspect, who hails from Kogi State, is said to be a driver with the company based in Ikeja.
He said the move to sell his boss’ jeep was the last resort to save his mum from dying.
Prior to that, he said he had approached his boss for salary advance to enable him settle his mum’s hospital bill, a request that was turned down.
He said instead, his boss asked him to proceed on a three-day casual leave to enable him approach family members and friends for financial support.
According to him, returned three days without any success.
He said: “It was at this juncture that I decided to steal the Mitsubishi jeep parked in the car lot as the last option” to save the mother.
He added that he contacted one of his friends who he later promised to get a buyer.
“I drove the jeep to the hotel to meet my friend. True to his words he arranged a buyer who agreed to pay the sum of N2.5 million. I considered the amount too small for the jeep.
“I told him that I won’t sell the jeep less than N3 million and at this point I decided to go and return the jeep and resign my appointment so that my gratuity will be up to the amount the doctor demanded.
“It is not in my blood and it is against our family values so in order not to disappoint my ancestors I returned the jeep but was unlucky as police arrested me before getting to the company,’’ he said.
The suspect, however, refused to disclose the hospital where his mother was booked for operation as he claimed.
But the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) countered his claim, arguing that he was going for a second buyer when detectives from SARs accosted him and his friend, not knowing that his boss had alerted the police over the missing vehicle.
The IPO revealed that it was the information that prompted decoy operatives to lay siege at the hotel the failed transaction was to be held.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, said the suspect and the buyer would be charged to court soon.