Ibrahim Animasaun is very popular at Beere area of Ibadan. He sells video cassettes, handset casings and phone accessories in his shop. He is well known as an Alhaji and has two silver teeth to confirm his pilgrimage to Mecca in the past.
However, his other side that was unknown to many people, except members of his caucus, was that he wined and dined with wanted criminals, while he was also a receiver of stolen items like phones, laptops and jewellery from a car-snatching syndicate. Not only that, his home at Alekuso area was alleged to be the take-off point whenever the gang working for Alhaji Biggie, a car dealer based in Abuja, wanted to go on operation.
This was revealed after the arrest of Animasaun and Biola Ayoola, a member of the car-snatching gang. The duo were among those paraded by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police on Tuesday, January 8. According to Mbu, “on November 23, six armed men attacked a member of the state House of Assembly (names withheld) at Ashi junction while he was in a petrol station buying fuel. His Honda CRV Sport Utility Van was snatched. It was a very tough day for us but we knew we were going to get them. The area where the robbery took place was not adequately covered then but that has been corrected now.
“We got a good Samaritan who volunteered an information. We worked on the information, and we arrested two of the robbery suspects, Ibrahim Animasaun and Biola Ayoola. We recovered the Honourable’s Honda CRV in Abuja. We arrested some other suspects in Abuja too but the main receivers are at large.We also recovered another black Honda CRV Jeep and a Toyota Landcruiser. The Honda CRV was recovered at a car stand and the chassis number had been defaced.”
It will be recalled that the police got the lead to the arrest of the duo from Victor Okafor, who was nabbed at Ikire on December 9, 2012 while taking a car that was snatched in the morning of the same day to Abuja, where Alhaji Biggie was waiting to receive the stolen car. Okafor had told the police that he was sent to Ibadan by one Alhaji Biggie to go and remove a tracking device from a car and bring the car to Abuja.
Okafor revealed that he had been in Ibadan about four days before Sunday December 9, and immediately he was contacted on the phone by one Abbey who sent Biola to come and pick him, he went to where the car was parked in a mechanic workshop on Airport road, Alakia. After removing the tracker, Okafor said he was on his way to Abuja when he was stopped by policemen at Ikire and was arrested.
It was learnt that Biola was caught by SARS operatives while he was by the side of the road after leaving a party.
Sunday Tribune had an interview with Animasaun and Ayoola. Below are the excerpts:
Biola Ayoola
I am from Ede in Osun State. I am 23 years old. I am a mechanic but I am yet to do the freedom ceremony though I had been released by my boss. I was introduced to robbery by Biodun also called Abbey in 2011. I used to pick him with okada which I used to ride. After a while, he bought one motorcycle for me and told me to be taking him out whenever his gang wanted to go on operation.
I have gone out with him to robbery operations. We operated at Basorun, Felele area, Ring Road area etc. We snatched a car at Basorun in November, 2012 around 10a.m. I rode my okada while we also had another okada rider. Two members were on each bike. When they saw the vehicle they liked, a Honda CRV, they got down while we kept the engine of our bikes running.
“They entered a petrol station and collected the key of the Honda CRV from its owner. We went with two guns. Abbey and Buki handled the guns. They showed the guns to the man and he cooperated with them. They kick-started and I followed them until they delivered the vehicle to Alhaji Biggie, who was waiting along Ibadan/Ife expressway".
About four days after, he paid Abbey for the job and I was given N40,000. On Sunday, December 9, 2012, Abbey called me to go and pick Victor from hotel and bring him to where they were. They had already snatched that car, a Toyota Avensis. He had other okada riders working for him. I used to take him to parties.
It was Alhaji Biggie who called Abbey to tell him that Victor had been caught and that we should be careful how we moved about. I was caught when I went to Alhaji Ibrahim Animasaun’s party. I was by the side of the road when I was sighted and arrested. Abbey told me that it was Alhaji Ibrahim who lent him the money that he used to buy okada for me. That Alhaji Ibrahim used to sell the phones that we took from snatched cars. I knew Abbey at hemp joint at Beere about 10 years ago.
We did not snatch car at Felele. We entered a wine shop and robbed its owner of money and phones. Three of us – Biodun (Abbey), Buki and I – went for that operation. It was daytime and we went with two guns. Abbey used to put guns in a bag that he would carry when going for operation.
Ibrahim Animasaun
I am 38 years old and married with two kids. I am a businessman selling video cassettes and phone accessories. I was arrested by the police because I used to buy stolen goods. I know that my customers used to snatch them or steal them from their owners, but there were some who used to sell their own phones to me whenever they needed money urgently.
I didn’t use to follow them on any operation but I was only buying from them. For example, if they sold a phone to me for N5,000, I could resell for N8,000. It is true that I bought a motorcycle for Biola. It was on instalment basis not for him to use it to rob, though I later knew he and Abbey were using it for robbery.
It is not true that they were using my home as take-off point. They used to meet inside C.A.C. School at Orita Aperin. They used to call themselves. I knew Biola through Abbey and both of them used to come to my place. I knew Abbey as a member of NURTW in Lagos. I also know he was into robbery. I know that they used to snatch vehicles and they used to bring their victim’s phones for me to sell for them. I know Alhaji Biggie through Abbey. I met him only once but we had spoken on phone several times. I know he used to buy cars snatched by armed robbers whom he usually sent.
When I met him, Abbey told him I was the one helping in disposing the phones from their victim’s cars. He then asked me how I could be assisting in getting money across to Abbey and his group anytime he wanted to pay them, saying that he doesn’t like coming into the city. So we made an arrangement such that anytime he got a vehicle from Ibadan, he would call me, give me about N400,000 to give Abbey. He would also give me between N40,000 and N50,000 as my own share.
Animasaun also told Sunday Tribune that the wanted receiver, Alhaji Biggie, is the name person as Gbenga and he is also known as Marshall, who is already on the wanted list of the Oyo State Police Command. However, this could not be confirmed by the police as a source said they were still conducting investigations to know if the two personalities are same....
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