Meshach Isinugo, popularly known as Big Shark, has denied the allegation of absconding with a car from an Abuja car stand, asserting that he had taken the vehicle to Delta State for business reasons while test-driving it.
In his account, Big Shark stated that he chose to use the car immediately when the dealer, who was present in the passenger seat during the test drive, didn’t return as quickly as anticipated after going to purchase fuel cash from a filling station.
According to the suspect’s testimony, he was angered when the car dealer posted his picture on the internet and falsely labelled him a car thief on the day after he reached Delta.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Wale Abass, provided details during a press briefing, stating that on July 3, a car dealer named Rilwan from Abuja had lodged a complaint with the command regarding the theft of a 2021 model Mercedes Benz saloon car from his car stand. The suspect, Big Shark, had reportedly posed as a potential buyer.
The police were notified by the car dealer that the suspect had run away with the vehicle during a test drive conducted on June 30.
‘Armed with available intelligence, operatives of the CP Decoy Squad stormed Ughelli town at about 0115hours (1:15 am) of 3/7/2023 and recovered the said Mercedes Benz abandoned in a bush along Oteri Road by Doctors Quarters Ughelli North Local Government Area.’
A thorough search for the suspect was initiated, and the operatives achieved success when they caught him at a park in Benin, Edo State.
Read also: Why I Don’t Want To Be Close To Abuja After May 29 – Buhari
‘I’m from Ughelli in Delta State, but I live in Abuja. I’m into foreign exchange and bureau de change business. I have been doing this since seven years. I started along that line when I was in secondary school. My business is at Instabul Airport, Turkey, so I used to shuttle between there and Nigeria. I started it there in 2021. I returned from Instabul in May after general elections,’ the suspect related.
Recounting how he ended up in police custody, he said: ‘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.’
‘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. I waited for his return for three hours but he was nowhere to be found, and I was already causing a queue at the filling station. I called his line several times but it was switched off. It was already dusk so I drove to my residence at almost 8 pm. My phone had gone flat then, so I charged it when I got home and called him again. His line was switched off.’
‘The following day, I drove down to Delta for a business. That same day, I saw my picture that he posted on the internet, calling me a car thief. His call also came in and he told me he had informed the police and they were tracking the car. This made me to be mad at him. It was crazy. I switched off my line known to him and started using my other line.’
‘My uncle saw me with the car and he asked me about it. I told him how the car came by and he got mad and slapped me. He said he would not allow me to drive the car but would report it at a police station. I ran from him because he assaulted me. I was eventually arrested in Benin, Edo State. I didn’t steal the car, I only drove it from Abuja to Delta. If I were the car dealer, I would just look for a way to get the car back. That would work.’
It was gathered that the suspect had been transferred to Abuja, the location where the alleged act was committed.