The Oyo State Police Command has disrupted an alleged transnational criminal network involved in the trafficking of stolen exotic vehicles across Nigeria’s borders for sale in foreign countries.
The command said two suspects were arrested and a 2017 Lexus RX 350 SUV recovered during an intelligence-led operation along the Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway.
The operation followed intelligence obtained from a suspect already in police custody over an armed robbery case, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the command’s spokesperson, Olayinka Ayanlade.
According to the release, the suspect disclosed his knowledge of a criminal gang allegedly specialising in receiving stolen vehicles and transporting them across Nigeria’s borders.
Operatives subsequently allowed him to use his mobile phone under controlled circumstances, during which members of the alleged syndicate sent him photographs of a vehicle they were preparing to steal.
The gang allegedly instructed the suspect to arrange for the vehicle’s reception, preparation and transportation across the border for sale in a foreign country.
The development prompted the Oyo Command to intensify efforts to intercept the vehicle after receiving a request from the Kwara State Police Command on August 24.
The Lexus was allegedly stolen at gunpoint from a woman at her residence in Ilorin, Kwara State, alongside other valuables belonging to her.
Following the alert, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji, directed the Commander of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to deploy operatives along the Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway.
According to the command, VCRU operatives sighted the vehicle at about 4 a.m. on Tuesday and attempted to stop it.
The occupants allegedly abandoned the SUV and fled into the bush in different directions.
The operatives pursued the suspects and arrested two men identified as Adewale Abiola, 33, and Kabiru Abobarin, 36. One of the suspects reportedly sustained a gunshot wound to his left foot during the operation.
A search of the recovered Lexus led to the discovery of several items allegedly stolen from the victim, including four HP laptops, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, seven wristwatches and jewellery.
The command said preliminary interrogation indicated that the two suspects allegedly received the vehicle from members of the gang responsible for stealing it in Ilorin.
The suspects also allegedly told investigators that they were transporting the SUV towards the border, where an ECOWAS document was expected to be obtained to facilitate its movement across the border for sale in another country.
The police did not disclose the alleged destination of the vehicle or indicate how many other vehicles the network may have previously trafficked.
The command said its investigation had been expanded to identify and arrest other members of the alleged syndicate and dismantle what it described as a wider transnational criminal network.
