A mechanic, Fatai Isiaka,  said to be a notorious thief specialized in stealing goats within Ilorin and its environs have been remanded at the Federal Prison, Oke-Kura, Ilorin.

The order to remand the accused was made by an Ilorin Magistrate Court before which he appeared on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, belonging to gang of thieves and having possession of goats reasonable suspected to have been stolen.

Trouble began for the 34-year-old accused said to be of no fixed address when on February 10 at about 9:30am he and one Ibrahim now at large were seen by passersby while they were parking goats into their operational Mazda 323 car with registration number KWARA AE 642 ARP along Pipeline Road, Ilorin.

On sensing danger, they hurriedly entered into their car and escaped with six goats already stolen by them.

While they were been pursued by some cyclists, they have an accident at Pipeline Junction, Ilorin with a commercial motorcyclist and broke the leg of the passenger on the motor bike.

Consequently, the accused who drove the car was arrested while Ibrahim escaped immediately after the accident.

The accused was handed over to men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ilorin, who were drafted to the scene and the accused operational car with the six stolen goats valued at N90,000 were recovered.

Police First Information Report (FIR) on the matter stated that in the course of the investigation the accused confessed stealing the recovered goats along Pipeline Road, Ilorin with one Ibrahim at large.

"We used dry maize as baits to attract the goats which make it easy for us to catch and thereafter we tied them on their legs with rope and cellotaped their mouth before putting them into our vehicle," the accused told the police.

According to the FIR, investigation also revealed that the accused belongs to a gang of thieves associated for the purpose of committing theft and are notorious in the criminal act of stealing goats with their operational vehicle.

The offence for which the accused was brought before the court contravene Sections 97, 306 and 319A of Penal Code Law.

The Prosecutor, Inspector James Odaodu objected to the bail of the accused and urged the court to remand him at the prison custody, Ilorin, pending the outcome of the investigation.

He submitted further that the offences for which the accused was brought before the court were not ordinarily bailable and if the accused was admitted to bail he might jump bail having realized the gravity of the alleged offences.

The trial magistrate, Mr. N.K. Ajide agreed with the submission of the prosecutor, as he ordered that the accused be remanded at the Federal Prison, Oke-Kura, Ilorin and adjourned the case till March 18 for further mention.