By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos
The Ogun State Police Command has dismantled suspected armed robbery and vehicle theft syndicates operating in Abeokuta and its environs, arresting three suspects, including an alleged kingpin, and recovering a stolen Toyota Corolla.
The suspects, identified as Ismaila Israel Sokunbi, 38; Kayode Adeyemi, 37; and Kola Taiwo, 55, were arrested in separate intelligence-led operations by operatives of the Anti-Robbery Squad of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Saturday.
According to the statement, the first operation followed an attempted armed robbery at Oniyo Community, Arokoje, Obantoko, on May 22, when armed men allegedly attempted to dispossess a resident of his vehicle as he was opening the gate to his residence.
“The victim raised an alarm, attracting neighbours to the scene. In the ensuing struggle, the suspects lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a fence. As operatives closed in, the suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled in a standby vehicle,” the police spokesman stated.
Babaseyi said detectives recovered an Infinix mobile phone and a Wema Bank ATM card allegedly dropped by one of the fleeing suspects, leading investigators through telecommunications analysis to the arrest of Sokunbi in Abeokuta on May 26.
A search of the suspect’s residence, he said, yielded a brand-new ceiling fan, gas cooker, SIM cards, suspected charms, mechanical tools, a gas-filling hose and cooking pots.
The police spokesman added that further investigation by the SCID led to the arrest of Adeyemi in Ibadan, Oyo State, describing him as the suspected leader of the criminal network.
According to the statement, the two suspects confessed to involvement in the attempted robbery and admitted belonging to a syndicate responsible for multiple vehicle thefts across Abeokuta and neighbouring communities, allegedly stealing vehicles by tampering with their ignition wiring systems.
In a separate operation, the Anti-Robbery Squad also arrested Taiwo in connection with the theft of a Toyota Corolla reported stolen at Osiele on May 18, while the vehicle was successfully recovered.
Police alleged that the suspect confessed to stealing several vehicles within the Osiele axis using master keys to gain access to parked cars and also admitted to the theft of a green Toyota Camry in an earlier operation.
The Command said efforts were ongoing to recover more stolen vehicles and apprehend other members of the syndicates, adding that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
Commending the operatives for their professionalism and intelligence-led operations, the Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to proactive policing and a zero-tolerance stance against violent crime and vehicle theft.
He warned criminals to desist from unlawful activities or face the full weight of the law, while assuring residents of the Command’s resolve to sustain efforts at safeguarding lives and property across the state.
