(One of the recovered cars. Photo Credit: Punch News)
The Ogun State Police Command announced on Wednesday that its operatives successfully recovered three stolen vehicles and arrested two suspected armed robbers during a targeted special operation aimed at tackling the growing wave of armed robbery in the Ifo and Sango areas of the state.
Items recovered during the operation included two live cartridges, foreign currencies, a So-Safe Corps uniform, an MP3 sound system, and a plasma television set.
The operations were led by the Divisional Police Officers for Ifo and Sango divisions, CSP Kamorudeen Olabisi and CSP Idowu Olatunji respectively.
The state police spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the development in a statement released to journalists on Wednesday.
According to Babaseyi, the breakthrough was the result of sustained intelligence-led investigations into previously reported cases of armed robbery and vehicle snatching across the two divisions.
On Saturday, May 10, 2026, detectives from the Ifo Division, acting on credible intelligence, stormed a suspected criminal hideout in the Adeleye area of Itele, Ota. Upon arrival at around 4:00 p.m., operatives spotted what appeared to be stolen vehicles on the premises, promptly cordoned off the area, and laid an ambush for the occupants who were absent at the time.
Their patience paid off at approximately 10:35 p.m. when a 48-year-old suspect, Mohammed Adeniyi Usman, also known as “Mandela,” was arrested.
A search of the premises led to the recovery of three vehicles a Toyota Corolla belonging to a complainant, a Toyota Venza allegedly stolen at gunpoint on April 26, 2026, in Ilese-Awo, Abeokuta, and a Honda Crosstour reportedly snatched during a separate robbery in Ijoko, Ota.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Usman is a member of a wider criminal network involved in armed robbery and vehicle theft across Ogun State and beyond.
The following day, Sunday May 11, 2026, operatives from both the Ifo and Sango divisions acted on intelligence and apprehended a second suspect, 38-year-old Abiodun Ogunojukan, alias “Ilasa,” at the Sango-Ota Under Bridge.
The suspect allegedly confessed to his involvement in the crimes and provided useful information that assisted police in tracking other fleeing members of the syndicate and recovering additional stolen items.
All recovered exhibits have been properly documented and secured, and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation and prosecution.
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended the operatives involved for their professionalism and swift, intelligence-driven response, while reaffirming the command’s firm commitment to protecting lives and property and dismantling criminal networks across the state.
Members of the public were encouraged to stay vigilant and report suspicious activities to the Ogun State Police Command through its emergency lines.
In a related development, the Kwara State Police Command had in April recovered a Toyota Matrix vehicle that was stolen from a parking space earlier the same day, with the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, noting that the vehicle was tracked and recovered along the Ilorin-Jebba Road using modern policing technology.
