OGUN POLICE OPERATION LEADS TO 8-- HOUR RECOVERY OF STOLEN CAMRY IN IFO

OGUN POLICE OPERATION LEADS TO 8-- HOUR RECOVERY OF STOLEN CAMRY IN IFO

By Jennifer Nwosu 

Less than eight hours after a Toyota Camry vehicle was reported missing, Ogun State Police detectives traced it to a hotel in Ifo, recovered it and arrested a man suspected of helping to conceal the vehicle.

In a statement released by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi B. Babaseyi,  the vehicle, a 2016 Toyota Camry belonging to an Indian national based at the Ilupeju Industrial Estate in Lagos, was allegedly taken on September 9 by the owner’s newly employed driver, Waidi Olaide Kolawale.

Kolawale, who had reportedly been employed only two days earlier, allegedly told his employer that he was taking the car to a nearby vulcaniser to fix a tyre. Instead, investigators said, he disappeared with the vehicle.

An electronic tracking system soon narrowed the search to Ifo. CSP Kamorudeen Olabisi, the Divisional Police Officer in Ifo, deployed surveillance and anti-robbery personnel, who followed the vehicle through several locations before finding it at a hotel at about 8:30 p.m.

Kolawale allegedly escaped when police arrived, carrying the ignition key with him. His alleged accomplice, Monday Adetunji, was arrested at the scene.

Preliminary findings indicate that the pair had allegedly sought the services of a mechanic to remove the vehicle’s catalyst, but the mechanic refused. The recovered Camry has been secured while detectives continue efforts to arrest the fleeing driver and establish the wider circumstances of the incident.

The operation has also underscored the value of electronic tracking and rapid reporting in vehicle theft cases. Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended the Ifo team for its' swift response and urged vehicle owners to combine tracking devices with practical safeguards such as steering and tyre locks.

The Command also advised vehicle owners to exercise greater care when handing over cars, property or access to homes and businesses. Hoteliers were urged to maintain proper records and strengthen checks on guests and vehicles.

Residents can report suspicious activity through the Gateway Shield toll-free line 0800 000 9111, or the emergency numbers 09164859299 and 09154293464.