The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of an inter-state robbery gang that specializes in snatching vehicles from Lagos State. The vehicles are smuggled down to Abuja, where they are sold to ready buyers.
Their arrest led to the recovery of six cars stolen from Lagos and sold in Abuja.
The syndicate’s modus operandi, according to the police, was to trail the owners of their choice vehicles to their houses, force them out of the vehicles at gunpoint, and zoom off in the stolen cars.
One of their latest victims was traced to the Ikotun area of Lagos while he was hooting the horn for the gate of his house to be opened. The gang reportedly went away with his black IS 250 Lexus SUV.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Idowu Owohunwa, it was gathered, directed operatives of the Command Special Squad 1 to go on the trail of the robbers, following the victim’s complaint.
Explaining how they were arrested, the command’s spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyi, said one of the suspects, identified as Okafor Nzubechukwu, was traced to his hideout in the Awoyaya-Ajah area of Lagos, where he was arrested.
Nzubechukwu’s confessional statement, according to him, led to the arrest of two others, Gbenga Olaoye, 49, and Luka Gaiya, 38, in Abuja.
According to Hundeyin, “one unregistered black IS 250 Lexus SUV, one unregistered black Toyota Camry saloon car, one unregistered red Lexus ES 350 saloon car, one unregistered ash Toyota Camry saloon car, one unregistered ash Lexus RX 350 SUV, and one unregistered ash Toyota Camry saloon car were recovered from the suspects.”
Two of the recovered vehicles had been handed over to their owners.
