

“I live in Iba Estate near Lagos State University (LASU) along Badagry Road, Lagos. I am happily married with five children. I built a storey building at Iba and a mosque which I built with N300,000. I built the mosque to honour God and pray to him five times a day. That was 10 years ago.
“In the year 2000, I started thinking of how to make quick money by stealing cars. I was jobless and had no money to feed my family. The man who lured me into car stealing died four years ago. I went to his house to seek advice on how to survive hunger and he taught me how to steal cars.
“He told me that he survived by stealing cars and for 10 years, I stole cars and my poverty disappeared. We would go to a place where a car was parked and used a screw driver to open the door. We would dismantle the wiring and use the starter wire to start the engine.
“While he drove the stolen car, I would drive his own car behind him to wherever he was going to sell, usually a place around Idimu, to an old man called Fatai, who is now late. After selling it for N100,000 then, he would give me N5,000 as my own share.
“The late Fatai had a mechanic workshop, and it was there that I went to meet him that I needed money and he told me about stealing cars.
“When Fatai died five years later, one Shina brought Kola Adeniji to me as a partner in crime. We operated more than five times before we were arrested. There was no gang leader between us. We were a twoman gang and anyone could bring a job.
“Our last operation was at Oyigbo, Ebute Meta, Lagos around July this year. We stole one Pick-Up Hylux vehicle and sold it to one Alhaji Lekan for N700,000. I had to shave my beard in the cell to avoid people identifying me as a cleric.
“I bought three commercial buses which ply Ijora-Obalende route, and each of them makes N4,000 return every day except Saturday and Sunday. I was arrested at Atede in Osun State while going to mosque.” The second suspect, Kolawole, said: “I am from Abeokuta, Ogun State. I am a property dealer in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos. I have two wives and seven children. I met Adeleke in Idi-Iroko, Ogun State when I was doing smuggling. I knew him through a friend called Shina.
“I learnt about stealing cars about seven years ago. Whenever we opened a car door, tore the starting wire and it refused to start, we abandoned it in the belief that it had a security system. But at times, once you start the engine, the security system becomes useless.“I was once arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti. I was charged to court and remanded in prison for one week. I had gone on nine operations and stopped before I started again in January because of the economic situation in the country.”
“Absolutely. I have been tempted many times to cheat on my husband by men I really liked. But when you think of what you stand to lose, the destruction of all you have labored to build, when you weigh all the options, you are left to conclude that it is not worth the trouble. I know some women will find this somewhat objectionable, but if they want to be truthful to themselves, they will agree with me that, as married women, we have all faced moments that I have just described.”On receiving gifts from male admirers
“Sure, I have received lots of goodies from my male admirers,”On if she has given anything back in return
“Nothing”, I do not give anything in return. I always tell them that I am married and would not compromise my martial vows. If after making that point clear, they still continue to shower me with gifts, maybe believing that something will break in the future, then I cannot help them.”
“Of course, it has”, she said matter-of-factly. “Which married woman who has been with her husband for years will, in her true state, tell you that the feeling has remained the same as it was the first time or the first year she met her husband? It is bound to cool off. What I recommend to women is what I call “temporary separation.” You will make yourself unavailable to your husband. Go somewhere – go on vacation with your friends, do something bold, lose weight, look different and, after weeks, come home, looking drop dead gorgeous, and I bet you, the fire of passion will be mightily rekindled and you will feel brand new again. I have applied this principle in my marriage and it has worked wonders.”
We try not to spoil, but we have something nice that I think she’ll really love,”“It just got delivered so when we move in [to our new home], she’ll see this new, fun play stuff that we got for her. We’re going to show her on Christmas.”My daughter is obsessed with Elf On The Shelf so she saw two of them and screamed"