The Ogun State Police Command has arrested five suspects, including a trailer driver accused of fleeing with his employer’s vehicle, following the discovery of an alleged criminal network involved in dismantling stolen trailers and selling their parts.
Police said parts of the stolen trailer, including its head, have been recovered, while efforts are ongoing to trace other suspected members of the syndicate and recover additional components.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Monday in Abeokuta.
The suspects were identified as Temitope Omotayo Odulaja, 47, the trailer driver, alongside Segun Suleiman, 27, Haruna Olaogun, 49, Jimoh Wasiu, 42, and Quazzim Suleiman, 49.
According to Babaseyi, the investigation began after the owner of the trailer reported at the Ifo Divisional Headquarters that his driver disappeared with the vehicle on June 6, 2026.
He said, “The breakthrough followed a complaint lodged at the Ifo Divisional Headquarters by the owner of the trailer, who reported that his driver had absconded with the vehicle on 6th June, 2026, and all efforts made to locate him and recover the trailer proved abortive. Upon receipt of the complaint, detectives led by the DPO, CSP Olabisi Kamorudeen, immediately commenced an intelligence-led investigation and deployed technical intelligence to trace the fleeing driver.”
The police spokesperson explained that detectives eventually tracked Odulaja to Ikorodu, Lagos State, where he was arrested on July 24.
“On 24th July, 2026, acting on credible intelligence, detectives tracked the fleeing driver to Ikorodu, Lagos State, where Temitope Omotayo Odulaja, aged 47, was arrested. The suspect thereafter provided useful information that advanced the investigation,” he added.
Babaseyi said information obtained from the suspect led investigators to Ijebu-Ode on July 25, where four additional suspects were apprehended at separate locations.
“On 25th July, 2026, detectives extended the operation to Ijebu-Ode, where Segun Suleiman, aged 27, Haruna Olaogun, aged 49, Jimoh Wasiu, aged 42, and Quazzim Suleiman, aged 49, were arrested at different locations within the area for their alleged involvement in the criminal enterprise,” the statement said.
Preliminary findings, according to the command, indicate that the trailer was dismantled shortly after it was stolen and its parts sold off.
The statement further read, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the stolen trailer had been dismantled shortly after it was stolen and its components unlawfully disposed of. Detectives have so far recovered parts of the stolen trailer, including the trailer head, while photographs of the dismantled trailer have been taken as exhibits.
“The investigation has further uncovered a suspected trailer-dismantling syndicate, with ongoing efforts to recover the remaining parts of the trailer, identify and apprehend other members of the syndicate, establish the full extent of its activities, and recover additional exhibits.”
Babaseyi said investigations are continuing and assured that all those found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Commending the operatives for the breakthrough, the Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, described the operation as a significant success in the fight against organised vehicle theft.
He urged transport operators, logistics firms, fleet owners and members of the public to remain alert and promptly report suspicious movements or activities to the police.
“The arrest of the fleeing trailer driver, the subsequent arrest of his accomplices, the recovery of parts of the stolen trailer, and the uncovering of the suspected trailer-dismantling syndicate underscore the Command’s unwavering commitment to intelligence-led policing and its determination to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks operating within Ogun State,” the statement quoted the commissioner as saying.
