THE Nigerian Correctional Centre is supposed to be a place of reformation for those on trial for different offences, but it seems that to many, it’s a place where they become more toughened in criminal acts.
This goes for Solomon and Ramoni, two of a five-member syndicate arrested by the Monitoring Unit of the Oyo State Police Command in connection with stealing phones from unsuspecting passengers while acting as driver and passenger.
Three other syndicate members are Mohammed and Kelvin, whose role was to use the victims’ SIM cards to siphon cash from their bank accounts, and Taoreed, who allegedly ran his own phone theft gang, using his personal tricycle for operations.
They were all arrested in a hotel in Ibadan where they usually lodged to enjoy their loot after operations and sale of stolen phones.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, said it followed information that along the route from Gate to Mokola Roundabout to Challenge, Ramoni would drive the operational tricycle while Solomon acted as passenger, picking phones from other passengers. After successful operations, Saturday Tribune learnt that Solomon and Ramoni would take the phones to Sabo in Ibadan, where there were always ready buyers.
After the sale, it was further gathered, they would give the SIM cards to Mohammed and Kelvin, who would access information in them using a code. They would allegedly withdraw money from some accounts while using others to borrow money.
The PPRO stated that the syndicate members were using money from the crime to lodge in hotels and enjoy themselves, until they were apprehended on March 2, while two of them escaped.
In an interview, Solomon, aged 35, who hails from Emu in Edo State but lives in Lagos, confessed that he had been committing the crime alone in Lagos before deciding to continue in Ibadan.
Though arrested after some operations in Ibadan, Solomon remained undeterred, reaching an agreement with Ramoni, whom he met in prison, to continue the “business” whenever they became free.
Solomon narrated how he returned to phone theft leading to his eventual arrest: “I was called by Ramoni. I met him in Agodi Custodial Centre of the Nigeria Correctional Service when I was remanded after my arrest and arraignment in court by Iyaganku Division for stealing phones from passengers. It was in 2025. I spent about two weeks in prison, after which my elder sister handled my bail condition.
“Within the two weeks, I interacted with Ramoni. We spoke on the issues that brought us to prison and decided to meet after leaving the custodial centre to continue pocket picking. We exchanged phone numbers.”
The suspect told Saturday Tribune of how he started stealing phones from passengers at the Alaba area in Lagos, where he would stand and pretend to be a passenger: “At the bus stop, I would enter a tricycle or vehicle with another passenger. I was always with a bag. Whenever the driver or bus conductor asked for transport money, I would act as if I wanted to take mine from my pocket and deftly remove the phone of the passenger beside me. I used to sell the stolen phones to buyers at Alaba International Market.”
When asked about the number of phones he was stealing daily, Solomon said they were not more than three, with the least being one. “I would have to leave the road because the phone owner might be looking for me,” the suspect revealed further.
He said he decided to change environment by coming to Ibadan to continue the operation: “I was living with my mother at Kirikiri Town but used to stay in a hotel most of the time with the money I got from selling stolen phones. I just felt like allowing Lagos to breathe, so I came to Ibadan and went to a joint at the Sabo area where one could drink, smoke and get ashawo (commercial sex workers).”
On his arrival in Ibadan, Solomon continued stealing phones until one day he was noticed by a victim who raised the alarm, leading to him being severely beaten by a mob and arrested by police personnel from Iyaganku.
According to Solomon, he was charged to court and remanded in prison when he couldn’t immediately fulfill bail conditions.
After leaving prison, he said he went to Lagos and started working as an illegal crosser with those importing used clothes. “I would put about 30 jean trousers in a backpack and bring them in through the Seme border like a traveller. I was getting N5,000 for each trip,” he disclosed, stating further: “Ramoni and I got connected back early this year and used to call each other. Since he’s a tricycle driver, we decided to work together to steal phones from passengers. He would be the driver while I would act as a passenger. We were operating between the Mokola Roundabout and Challenge.”
The phones, according to Solomon, were sold to buyers in Sabo. He revealed they avoided iPhones because they are usually iCloud locked. The Android phones he stole were sold for between N30,000 and N35,000 each.
He went on: “Before selling the phones, we would remove the SIM cards and give them to Mohammed and Kelvin to check if there’s a bank from which they could get money, but they had not got any money since I met them.”
Second suspect, Ramoni, 33, also narrated his involvement:
“I’m a tricycle driver. I started the gang operation in 2025. I met a guy at a Sabo drink joint and he told me to join him as a driver while he would steal passengers’ phones. We had not carried out more than four operations when we were caught and charged to court. I was remanded in Agodi prison where I met Solomon. He gave me his phone number when he was leaving prison. When I came out after my sister helped with bail, I had nothing doing. My sister later got a tricycle for me on hire purchase. I called Solomon and he came to Ibadan from Lagos. We worked together three times and I stopped because I had a face injury from a fight. He begged to have my tricycle to continue the operation while giving me some money for usage.
“On the day I was arrested with him in the hotel, I had come to collect the money and my tricycle.”
Another suspect, 30-year-old Taoreed, admitted that he was also using his personal tricycle to carry out phone stealing operations with his gang members but didn’t join the Solomon/Ramoni gang. He said that though he was friends with Ramoni and his gang, he only brought his girlfriend to the hotel to have fun when he was arrested. He confirmed being a hemp smoker.
One of the two syndicate members dealing with SIM cards, Mohammed, who lives in Lagos, said he was taught by a friend how to check SIM cards for linked bank accounts.
The 21-year-old disclosed: “We would dial a merchant code which would show if the SIM card owner is using a bank. We would go to the menu and use the code to know if the person has money in his account. We can also purchase a recharge card online, which would show account balance.
The highest I’ve got is N90,000. USSD has limits, which would not enable one to get more if the account has been blocked. But it’s easy when we get the BVN of the SIM card owner.
“I knew Ramoni through Solomon, who is like a street brother, as we used to meet in parties. Kelvin is my friend.”
Kelvin, also 21, from Sapele in Delta State, said: “My involvement was checking SIM cards, which I learned in Lagos. It was when Christopher called me on February 20 to come to Ibadan that I met Mohammed. I started learning about SIM card codes in July 2025. Solomon is well known in Lagos, and I first called him to meet me to help check SIM cards. The highest money I’ve got is N90,000.”
The PPRO said that investigation into the suspects’ cases is still ongoing, while efforts are being intensified to apprehend.
