Nigeria: Police Arrest Suspected Cross-Border Car Theft Syndicate Members in Oyo

What the report says

Police in Nigeria’s Oyo State say they have arrested two men in connection with a suspected cross-border vehicle theft network and recovered a stolen Lexus RX 350 SUV during an operation along the Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway. The report, published by Premium Times and distributed by AllAfrica, says the police described the case as part of a wider trafficking ring that moves stolen luxury vehicles across national borders for resale abroad.

According to the Oyo State Police Command, the investigation began after information was shared by a suspect already in custody in an unrelated armed robbery case. Police said that suspect identified a group involved in receiving stolen vehicles and arranging their movement out of Nigeria. The command later worked with the Kwara State Police Command after receiving a request on 24 August to intercept a 2017 Lexus RX 350 allegedly taken at gunpoint from a woman in Ilorin.

The police said operatives intercepted the vehicle around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, but the occupants fled into nearby bushland. Two men, identified as Adewale Abiola, 33, and Kabiru Abobarin, 36, were later arrested, and one reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to the foot during the pursuit. Officers also said they recovered items believed to belong to the victim, including laptops, a phone, wristwatches and jewellery.

The command said preliminary questioning suggested the suspects received the vehicle in Ilorin and were taking it toward a border area, where documents were to be arranged for export. Police said the inquiry is continuing as they seek other members of the alleged network.