The Police Command in Nigeria's Ekiti State apprehended the suspect after his latest operation targeting worshipers in Ayegbaju-Ekiti and Oye-Ekiti towns.
Commissioner of Police for Ekiti State, Akinwale Adeniran, disclosed that the suspect was captured on Saturday following the alleged stealing of seven mobile phones from attendees at the Christ Apostolic Church in Ayegbaju-Ekiti.
In a statement relayed by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, Adeniran explained that the suspect, under the guise of a church member, meticulously observed the congregants. Seizing the moment amidst the fervour of worship, he absconded with seven phones.
"The suspect, during interrogation, confessed to having been operating around Oye-Ekiti and Ayegbaju-Ekiti, with churches as his target. He further confessed to having stolen a lot of phones from the Redeemed Christian Church of God and New Reality Christian Centre, all in Oye-Ekiti," Adeniran remarked as quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to the police commissioner, investigations uncovered the suspect's modus operandi, revealing that he dispatched the stolen phones via motor parks to Lagos. There, an accomplice facilitated their sale, with the proceeds sent back to him through online transfers.
Despite the recovery of the seven phones pilfered during his latest incursion at CAC, Ayegbaju-Ekiti, Adeniran confirmed that several victims have already identified the suspect and reclaimed their stolen property.
The commissioner affirmed that the suspect would face legal proceedings promptly upon the conclusion of the investigation.