Police Bust Transnational Crime Syndicate, Recover Stolen Lexus SUV

BY FRONTLINE REPORTERS

The Oyo State Police Command has dismantled a suspected transnational criminal syndicate allegedly involved in the trafficking of stolen luxury vehicles across Nigeria’s borders for sale in foreign countries.

The intelligence-led operation, carried out by operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), led to the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of a stolen 2017 Lexus RX 350 SUV.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

According to Ayanlade, the breakthrough followed information provided by one of the suspects already in police custody in connection with an armed robbery case involving about 10 alleged victims.

The suspect reportedly revealed the activities of a criminal network specialising in receiving and transporting stolen vehicles to foreign countries.

The two suspects arrested were identified as Adewale Abiola, 33, and Kabiru Abobarin, 36, popularly known as “KB.”

The command said that, following the information provided by the suspect, operatives allowed him to use his mobile phone under controlled circumstances. During this period, members of the alleged syndicate reportedly sent him photographs of a vehicle they planned to steal and instructed him to arrange for its reception and transportation across the border.

The operation intensified after the Oyo Command received information from the Kwara State Police Command on August 24 concerning a 2017 Lexus RX 350 SUV allegedly stolen at gunpoint from a woman at her residence in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Abimbola Olugbenga, subsequently directed the VCRU commander to deploy operatives for an intelligence-led stop-and-search operation along the Ibadan–Ilorin Expressway.

The police said that at about 4:00 a.m. on August 25, 2026, VCRU operatives sighted the stolen Lexus and attempted to stop it for questioning.

The occupants, however, allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled into the bush in different directions in an attempt to evade arrest.

The operatives gave chase and eventually arrested two suspects, one of whom sustained a gunshot wound to his left foot during the operation.

The recovered Lexus was subsequently taken into police custody for further investigation.

A search of the vehicle also led to the recovery of valuables allegedly belonging to the victim, including four HP laptops, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, a bag containing seven wristwatches and jewellery.

The suspects reportedly confessed to receiving the vehicle from members of the alleged syndicate after it was stolen in Ilorin and transporting it towards the border, where an ECOWAS document was to be obtained to facilitate its movement into a foreign country.

The Commissioner of Police commended the VCRU operatives for their prompt response, professionalism and effective deployment of actionable intelligence.

Olugbenga directed that the investigation be intensified to identify and apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate and dismantle its wider transnational network.

The command also commended the cooperation and intelligence-sharing between the Oyo and Kwara State Police Commands, stressing that sustained inter-state collaboration remained critical to disrupting organised and transnational criminal activities.

The police assured the public that efforts were ongoing to bring all those connected with the alleged criminal network to justice.