The police command in Ondo has arrested a suspected interstate vehicle thief and recovered a vehicle allegedly stolen from his employer in Port Harcourt, Rivers.
In a statement on Tuesday, the command’s spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, said the incident began at about 11:59 a.m. on Friday, when a man, Akin Thomas, reported that a motorist purchased petrol worth ₦100,000 at a filling station in Epinmi but allegedly fled without paying.
He said the suspect, Bamidele Lodi, allegedly distracted the fuel attendant by asking him to fetch water before driving away without making payment.
According to Mr Jimoh, operatives attached to the Isua Division immediately mobilised, mounted route blocks and began pursuing the fleeing suspect.
“On sighting the police operatives, the suspect allegedly diverted onto the Ise–Ikare Road in an attempt to evade arrest,” Mr Jimoh said.
Mr Jimoh said the pursuing officers sustained the chase and coordinated with the army at a checkpoint in Auga, where they intercepted and arrested the suspect.
He added that preliminary investigations and intelligence gathering subsequently linked the suspect to a vehicle in his possession that had reportedly been stolen from his employer in Port Harcourt.
“Acting on the intelligence, investigators compared the chassis number of the vehicle in the suspect’s possession with the chassis number of the suspected stolen vehicle supplied to the police,” he said.
Mr Jimoh said the numbers matched, providing a crucial lead in establishing the vehicle’s identity and the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s possession of it.
He added that further intelligence indicated that the suspect worked as a security guard for the vehicle’s owner in Port Harcourt and allegedly stole the vehicle before fleeing.
The police spokesperson said the recovered vehicle and the suspect remained in police custody as investigations continued to establish the full circumstances of the alleged offences, verify the vehicle’s ownership and determine whether the suspect was linked to other criminal activities.
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