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The Oyo State Police Command has busted a transnational criminal network allegedly involved in trafficking stolen luxury vehicles across Nigeria’s borders for sale in foreign countries.
The operation, carried out by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of a stolen Lexus RX 350 SUV.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday.
The suspects were identified as 33-year-old Adewale Abiola and 36-year-old Kabiru Abobarin, also known as “KB”.
Ayanlade said the breakthrough followed information provided by one of the suspects, who was already in police custody over an armed robbery case involving about 10 alleged victims.
According to him, the suspect disclosed details of a criminal network specialising in receiving stolen vehicles and transporting them to foreign countries.
The police said operatives subsequently monitored communications between the suspect and members of the alleged syndicate. During the operation, the gang allegedly sent him photographs of a vehicle they planned to steal and instructed him to arrange its reception and transportation across the border.
The command later received information from the Kwara State Police Command on August 24 that a 2017 Lexus RX 350 SUV had allegedly been stolen from a woman at gunpoint at her residence in Ilorin.
Following the report, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, directed the VCRU commander to conduct an intelligence-led stop-and-search operation along the Ibadan–Ilorin Expressway.
At about 4am on August 25, operatives reportedly sighted the stolen Lexus and attempted to stop it.
The occupants allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled into the bush in different directions. The operatives pursued them and arrested two suspects, one of whom sustained a gunshot wound to his left foot.
A search of the recovered vehicle also led to the recovery of valuables allegedly belonging to the victim, including four HP laptops, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, seven wristwatches and jewellery.
The suspects allegedly confessed to receiving the vehicle from a syndicate that stole it in Ilorin and transporting it towards the border, where an ECOWAS document would allegedly be obtained to facilitate its movement to another country.
The command said the recovered vehicle had been taken into custody as investigations continued.
Olugbenga commended the operatives for their prompt response and effective use of intelligence, while directing them to intensify efforts to identify and arrest other members of the alleged syndicate.
He also praised the cooperation between the Oyo and Kwara State Police Commands, stressing that sustained inter-state collaboration was essential to tackling organised and transnational crime.
