The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended suspected members of a car-snatching syndicate and retrieved five vehicles that are believed to have been stolen during operations associated with hijacking and vehicle theft in Lagos State and other states.
The command announced that the breakthrough was the result of an intelligence-driven investigation that was initiated in response to a police report of a stolen Toyota Camry 2008 model.
In a statement released on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, it was revealed that the syndicate’s activities were ultimately revealed when operatives traced the stolen vehicle to a re-registration point.
The police announced that their investigations had revealed that the gang allegedly conducted vehicle theft operations within Lagos State, as well as the transportation and sale of the stolen vehicles in Ibadan and Ilorin.
“During the investigation, operatives located and apprehended Segun Olawuwo, 58, in Ibadan, Oyo State. They also recovered another Toyota Corolla 2008 model that was suspected to have been stolen from him,” the statement stated.
The command also disclosed that the apprehension of two additional suspects, Femi Afolabi, 53, and Sunday Ugbomudia, 53, in Ilorin, Kwara State, was the result of ongoing investigations.
A Toyota Camry 2008 model and a Toyota Corolla 2006 model, both of which were suspected to have been stolen, were retrieved from the perpetrators during the operation, according to police authorities.
The statement also stated that the arrests resulted in the recovery of another stolen Toyota Camry 2012 model, which had been previously sold to an unsuspecting buyer in Ibadan.
The suspects admitted to engaging in numerous robberies and car-snatching operations both within and outside of Lagos State, according to the police.
The command reported that efforts were currently underway to apprehend additional members of the syndicate who were evading capture and to recover additional vehicles that were purportedly associated with the gang.
The operatives involved in the operation were commended by the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Tijani Fatai, for their professionalism and commitment to combating crime throughout the state.