By Christopher Oji
The Ogun State Police Command has cracked a syndicate of robbers who towed parked vehicles to a hotel where they are butchered in the state.
The mode of operation is that the syndicate roams the roads looking for broken down vehicles parked by their owners who are in search of repairers. The police have, therefore, warned travellers to be weary of where they park their faulty vehicles in the state.
Already, the gang leader, a popular hotelier, Paul Niwa, 47, and his accomplice, Michael Odunayo, have been arrested in connection with car theft, while other gang members are on the run. The suspects were arrested for allegedly stealing a bus belonging to A&G Logistics Transport Company, Shagamu.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, said: “The suspects were arrested following a report lodged at Ewu-Oliwo Divisional Headquarters, Shagamu, on April 21, 2023, by Mr. Anifowose Kazeem, who reported that he was the driver in-charge of a T4 Volkswagen bus with registration number: AAB 22 XB, and that while driving the said vehicle from Abeokuta towards Shagamu, at about 1am of the date, the vehicle developed a mechanical fault at the Sagamu interchange, which made him to park it by the roadside with the intention of coming with a mechanic in the morning to fix it.
“But, surprisingly, when he got to the scene the following morning, the bus was no longer there and all efforts to find it proved abortive. Upon the report, DPO Ewu-Oliwo division, CSP Toyosi Bello, detailed detectives to unravel those behind the disappearance of the said vehicle.
“The detectives, who embarked on a technical and intelligence based investigation, were able to trace the missing vehicle to the compound of A@Z Hotel, at the Elediye village, Shagamu, where the vehicle had been butchered into pieces to be sold in parts. The owner of the hotel, Paul Niwa, was there and then promptly arrested and taken to custody. His arrest led to the apprehension of the second suspect, 27-year-old Michael Odunayo.
“On interrogation, Michael Odunayo confessed to the police that it he and one Eri Adeyemi, now at large, had towed the vehicle away from where it was parked, at about 2am, and took it to Paul Niwa, who happened to be a regular buyer of such stolen vehicle, and he bought it for N300,000. Preliminary investigation revealed that Paul Niwa is a serial receiver of stolen vehicles, which he used to dismantle and sell in pieces.”
Meanwhile, acting Commissioner of Police, Babakura Muhammed, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation. He also directed that the remaining member of the gang, Eri Adeyemi, be hunted for and brought to book.