The Ondo State Police Command has successfully recovered seven vehicles suspected to have been stolen by a notorious syndicate of car thieves who have been terrorising residents. These criminals have made a name for themselves by invading the homes of their victims and forcibly taking their vehicles at gunpoint.
In addition to stealing cars, the gang specialised in forging documents for the stolen vehicles, which they then sold to unsuspecting buyers across the country.
The police crackdown on the syndicate began after a Toyota Corolla was stolen from its owner in Akure. The stolen vehicle was traced to Sagamu, Ogun State, where six other stolen cars were also recovered.
Speaking on the operation, the State Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Oladipo, revealed that the gang’s modus operandi involved targeting residential areas instead of highways. Armed and dangerous, they would break into homes, forcibly take vehicles, and sell them off to unsuspecting buyers.
Oladipo noted that the police had received several complaints from residents of Akure and Ore regarding the gang’s activities. After the most recent incident involving the stolen Toyota Corolla, detectives launched an investigation, leading to the recovery of the seven vehicles.
The recovered vehicles include a Toyota Venza, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Sienna, Lexus LX330, and Lexus ES 330. These were retrieved from unsuspecting buyers and car dealers who had unwittingly purchased the stolen vehicles.
“On July 11, 2024, the Command received a report of a brazen armed robbery where a Toyota Corolla, a Tecno POP 5 phone, and ₦1.5 million in cash were stolen at gunpoint,” Oladipo said. “Our Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit, using advanced intelligence, tracked the suspects to Ogun State, where several arrests were made.”
Among those arrested was Akinsanya Sarafa Adeniyi, a notorious receiver of stolen vehicles, who is known as “Oba Idan” in criminal circles. A female accomplice, who was responsible for producing fake vehicular documents, was also apprehended, along with others who aided in evading law enforcement. However, the mastermind of the syndicate remains at large, and the search for him continues.
One of the suspected car thieves, Paul Niwa from Kogi State, confessed that he met the gang leader, who is still at large, at the Oba Correctional Centre in Ogun State. After their release, they collaborated, with Niwa selling the stolen vehicles to unsuspecting buyers at market price.
The Police Commissioner assured that detectives are still on the trail of the remaining members of the syndicate, vowing to bring them to justice.
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