The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command, on Thursday paraded a 55-year-old man for allegedly stealing a Toyota Picnic vehicle.

The corps said the car belonged to one Ibirogba Oluwatobiloba when it paraded the suspect at the command’s Headquarters in Agodi, Ibadan.

The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Mr Michael Adaralewa, said the suspect was arrested with the vehicle on April 29, at Iwo Road area of Ibadan.

Adaralewa said that the suspect met the owner of the vehicle, a commercial driver, at Isagamu and told him that he wanted to carry some goods at Gate area of Ibadan.

According to the commandant, the driver charged the suspect the sum of N20,000 for transporting the said goods and the suspect gave him N4,000 as advance payment.

“When they got to Gate area of Ibadan, the suspect took the driver to a canteen to eat.

“On coming back to the vehicle, he told the driver that he had lost his phone and later asked him to help him check at the canteen where they ate.

“By the time the driver came back, he did not meet the suspect and the vehicle where it was packed but later sighted the suspect driving away with the vehicle.

“The suspect was chased by taxi and bike men and was about to be mobbed by angry youths when the team of NSCDC and Operational Burst personnel rescued and brought him to the command,” he said.

Adaralewa said that items recovered from the suspect included an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, small bag, master key and one hat.

The commandant said that investigation was still ongoing and that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation was completed.

The suspect, however, denied the allegation in an interview with newsmen.

The owner of the vehicle claimed that the suspect initially wanted to drug him via alcohol consumption.

He alleged that it was when he did not succeed that he tricked him to help check his lost phone in the canteen.

(NAN)