Individuals and families go to church to worship on Sundays. But a mother of two, Kemi Owolabi, her 10-year-old daughter and a relation, a boy of about five years, do so for a totally different reason. They have devised the most ingenious way of pilfering worshippers' bags at the close of service.
Their operation had been successful until last Sunday when nemesis caught up with the thieving mother and her children at Word Base Assembly (WBA), a Pentecostal church in Okota, Lagos. Female members had reported cases of missing bags for three consecutive weeks until the church authorities decided to take action. Intent on catching the thief, the authorities set a trap, into which Kemi and her little accomplices fell headlong.
Modus operandi
Kemi, who drives a white BMW 7 Series, usually waits in the car while the kids are in the church sizing up beautiful bags to purloin.
Narrating their modus operandi that would shock the most imaginative of thieves, Kemi admitted to Sunday Sun after she was nabbed that she would sit in the car outside while the boy fetched, ostensibly, 'mummy's' bag from among others. After all, why would you suspect a five or six-year-old walking away with his mother's bag? If questioned, however, Titi quickly rose up to his rescue, telling the boy that that was the wrong one and that mummy had found her bag.
Trained and smart as the juvenile apprentices in Fagin's school for young pickpockets in Dicken's Oliver Twist, Titi and her sibling deceived unsuspecting church members week after week by stealing their bags right under their noses. And once the bags were in the kitty, in this case, Kemi's car, off she goes straight to Ifako-Bariga, where she resides, or to another church for more bags.
After cleaning out the contents, the bags are usually discarded in the next church they purloin. On one of the Sundays, they 'visited' three other churches in the area, stealing and exchanging bags at a church holding service at City Plaza along Ago Palace Way, the Latter House Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God nearby and the Good Shepherd Parish of the Anglican Church. For that week, some of their loot included cell phones, cash and lots of women things.
Arrest
Like most greedy thieves, Kemi stretched her luck too far. Perhaps, propelled by a force beyond her understanding, she returned again to Word Base Assembly on March 22 to carry out her nefarious act. Like other times, her daughter and relation were in tow. As before, they made their move after the service had ended. But it turned out this was not a day like others.
Unaware that church members were watching keenly over a bag - bait actually - the boy locked on it like a missile-seeking heat. Caught red-handed at last, he led members to his 'mother,' who was waiting in her car outside the church.
Confronted, the Ogun State-born woman, who said her husband is abroad, admitted sending the children to pilfer worshippers' bags. She later led our reporter, members of the church and others contacted through their recovered phones in her possession to the three other churches they had visited. On the whole, six bags were recovered, containing various sums of money, cell phones and other items.
"My name is Kemi Owolabi. I'm married; I'm from Ogun State and I live in Bariga," she responded when interviewed by Sunday Sun.
She, however, admitted remorsefully. "Yes, I asked the children to go into the church to steal bags. I don't know what pushed me into it," she further said, before she stopped talking as tears welled up in her eyes and lifting her hands to her head.
Confirming the development, a WBA member, Mr Emmanuel Bribena, said: "It was the first time something like that would be happening in the history of the church. We thought it was odd. So we decided to set a trap for the thief."
A few weeks ago, some under-10 children were also caught with cell phones of members in a popular Pentecostal church at Onikan, Lagos. Interrogated, the tykes admitted to stealing the phones on instructions from their parents.
Kemi was later handed over the police at the Ago Police Station. At the time of filing this report, she had been released on bail while her impounded car was seen parked at the premises of the station.[email][/email]

I read this story and i think it is so sad and pathetic.
I dont think it was poverty that drove the woman into it at all, cos she was still cruising town with a BMW, so she cld have sold that to take care of her needs, and she claim to have a husband abroad.
I just wld like to know what she was thinking when she will send lil children on such mission, she need to be locked up, cos i truely blv she must be sick

Kemi, who drives a white BMW 7 Series, usually waits in the car while the kids are in the church sizing up beautiful bags to purloin.

They must be making good money from that deal. Lucrative deal, huh.

iReport:

They must be making good money from that deal. Lucrative deal, huh.

its a 20 years old BMW 7series jare

must_a_far:

its a 20 years old BMW 7series jare

regardless of how old the ride is, she still ride a BMW 7 Series, so she is a real thief and belongs in jail with the keys thrown away.

its a 20 years old BMW 7series jar

That is a classic then. Probably more expensive than the new one.

iReport:

That is a classic then. Probably more expensive than the new one.

Only in obodo land, nothing like classic in Nigeria, else, all the old beetle owners will be rich.

.

@post
really sad,if this was a properly run country with proper children's welfare,the children should have been taken from her,i shudder to think what she ll have taught them and put them through

tpia:

who is the woman's husband?

Is his name emeka?

If you are trying to turn that unfortunate incident into a tribal thing, then you might just be shooting yourself on the foot because the article clearly stated that the woman is an 'ofe mmanu' (yoruba) woman.

So leave igbo out of it. I nula?

I wonder what most of you should have been saying by now if it was said that it was an igbo lady.

Foools!

who is the woman's husband?

Is his name emeka?

Pftttttttttttttrrrrrrrrrr, the cheapest shot I've ever seen.

.

HER NAME IS KEMI, OLUWAKEMI, ( God kept me), SHE IS TYPICAL YORUBA WOMAN AND HER HUSBAND IS OUT OF THE COUNTRY ( probably trafficking drugs within London and it environ).

When did name and place of origin become a factor here?. I think Tpia mentioned Emeka because she's always all over me trying to get me to sleep with her but am not interested in committing suicide. Sauron advised me to disinfect the bushy area with Baygon super but ehrm, I just don't wanna die from a rare form of undocumented virus.

So guys, lay off the tribalist BS.

.

if emekraze the super tribalist is telling you to lay off your tribalistic jargon, then una suppose use una brain before typing

Ms tribalist elect, are you tired of your portfolio let's ask nairaland INEC chairman, oga Jarus to hold another election?. I really thought you will demand for  a second term.

aloy.emeka,

Are you sure that tufia is actually a lady and dat she is actually referring to you?

But for the kids involve,her deeds are not as bad as that of the pastors,deacons,priests and their families that milk the people dry magically in the name of god.Tricksters

Some how,hard up people get to make ends meet out that madness either by trick or by nook,it shouldn't just be the pastors that benefits from the free fall of mass hypnotism and delusions.

Just like in england,most women,even men shoplift using their children as fronts and accomplices.

.

.

tpia:

onye oshi, I'm definitely not a lady and I apologize for not mentioning your own name instead of emekraze.
Loneliness don pafuka you finish!!!!!

Oya, emeka, o si na ya bu nwoke. A ma kwa m na i naghi eme mmeko nwoke na nwoke

aloy.emeka,

Are you sure that tufia is actually a lady and dat she is actually referring to you?

tpia is not only an old lady but the afani adugbo 1 of the whole amuwo odofin LGA .

Now, shes/hes denying it,