The Ogun State Police Command has arrested five suspects, including a trailer driver, over the alleged theft and dismantling of a trailer, uncovering what the command described as a suspected syndicate involved in stealing trailers and selling their parts.
The suspects are identified as 47-year-old trailer driver, Temitope Omotayo Odulaja; Segun Suleiman, 27; Haruna Olaogun, 49; Jimoh Wasiu, 42; and Quazzim Suleiman, 49.
The police said the trailer’s owner had reported the vehicle missing at the Ifo Divisional Headquarters on June 6, 2026, after the driver allegedly absconded with it.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, detectives immediately launched an intelligence-driven investigation to locate the missing trailer and track down the driver.
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.”
Following intelligence gathered during the investigation, detectives traced Odulaja to Ikorodu, Lagos State, where he was arrested on July 24.
Babaseyi said the suspect subsequently provided information that helped the police expand the investigation to Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
“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,” he said.
The police spokesman disclosed that preliminary findings indicated that the trailer was dismantled shortly after it was allegedly stolen, with its components subsequently sold or disposed of.
He added that detectives had recovered some parts of the vehicle, including the trailer head, while photographs of the dismantled trailer had been preserved as exhibits.
Babaseyi said the investigation had also uncovered a suspected network involved in dismantling stolen trailers, adding that the police were working to recover the remaining parts and arrest other suspected members of the syndicate.
“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,” he said.
The command said investigations were continuing and that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Bode Ojajuni, commended the detectives for the arrests and recovery efforts.
He urged transport operators, fleet owners, logistics companies and members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the police.
Ojajuni said the operation demonstrated the command’s resolve to disrupt organised vehicle theft and other criminal networks operating in the state.
“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,” he said.
