I’m Not A Car Thief, I Only Drove It From Abuja To Delta Without Dealer’s knowledge —Suspect

A 25-year-old man, Meshach Isinugo a.k.a Big Shark, who allegedly absconded with N55m Mercedes Benz SUV during a test drive in Abuja, has denied being a car thief, saying he only drove it to Delta State without the owner’s knowledge.

Delta State Police Command arrested the suspect in Benin City, Edo State while the stolen car was recovered from a bush along Oteri Road in Ughelli North.

Spokesperson of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, stated that the suspect specialises in stealing cars while posing as an intending buyer.

According to the suspect, he decided to quickly use the car when the dealer, who sat in the passenger seat during test driving, didn’t return quickly after going to get cash to buy fuel at a filling station.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, the suspect said that the day after he got to Delta, the car dealer angered him by posting his picture on the internet and calling him a car thief, as well as threatening that the police were after him.

He claimed that the dealer’s action made him switch off his phone so that he would be unreachable before he was eventually arrested in Benin, Edo State.

“I’m from Ughelli in Delta State, but I live in Abuja. I’m into foreign exchange and bureau de change business.

“I was arrested on July 6 for car theft after I was tracked by the police. Actually, I moved the car from Abuja to Delta State.

“I didn’t steal the car, but it was not mine. What happened was that I got the owner’s contact from an online platform (name withheld). He posted the car’s picture on the platform, putting it up for sale. When I called him to indicate an interest, he told me to come for the car inspection. He was also Abuja-based and the location he invited me to was at Garki.

“I saw the car, and the intending seller put the price at N58 million. I offered to pay N30 million and he said I should test-drive it so that I would know the value of what I was pricing. He gave me the car key and sat on the passenger seat

“When we got to a filling station, he asked me to pull over as he needed to buy fuel for the car. He told me to wait so that he would go and get some cash to buy the fuel.