The Oyo State Police Command has arrested three suspected car thieves and recovered a stolen Hyundai Sonata car in Ibadan, the state capital, weeks after the command announced the arrest of two suspects allegedly linked to a separate transnational vehicle theft network.
The latest arrests followed the recovery of a white Hyundai Sonata, registration number ABC 882 GK, which was reportedly stolen from Shangisha, Magodo, Lagos, on 13 September.
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According to the command’s statement signed by its Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ayanlade Olayinka, the stolen car was later sighted around the Ojoo area of Ibadan, prompting a report to the Oyo Command on 16 September.
Following the report, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, directed the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad to trace and recover the vehicle.
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“Using technology, intelligence-driven policing and coordinated operational efforts, the squad traced the vehicle to the Akinyele Area of Ibadan, where it was recovered,” the statement read.
However, the police stated that three suspects identified as Abdulramon Hassan, 49; Abdullahi Sani, 43; and Sulaimon Adamu, 53, were subsequently arrested in connection with the vehicle theft.
The police noted that preliminary investigation showed that the suspects confessed to involvement in the crime and were cooperating with investigators to uncover the activities of the syndicate and identify other people connected with the theft.
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The latest operation comes less than a month after the Oyo Command arrested two suspected members of a network allegedly involved in trafficking stolen vehicles across Nigeria’s borders for sale abroad.
In that previous case, the police recovered a 2017 Lexus RX 350 SUV allegedly stolen at gunpoint from a woman in Ilorin, Kwara State, and arrested Adewale Abiola, 33, and Kabiru Abobarin, 36.
The command had said preliminary interrogation showed that the two suspects allegedly received the Lexus from members of the gang that stole it in Ilorin and were transporting it towards the border.
According to the police, an ECOWAS document was expected to be obtained to facilitate the vehicle’s movement across the border for sale in another country.
The command had also said the suspects’ arrests were part of an intelligence-led operation that followed information from another suspect already in police custody over an armed robbery case.
“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate. The Commissioner of Police has directed that the investigation be intensified and concluded expeditiously, after which the suspects and any other persons found culpable will be charged to court in accordance with the law,” the police said.
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