24th April, 2023
By Adejoke Adeleye/Abeokuta
A 47-year old hotelier, Paul Niwa and one Michael Odunayo have been arrested by men of Ogun Police Command, for stealing a bus belonging to A&G Logistics Transport Company located in Shagamu area of the state.
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Kazeem had reported that that vehicle broke down when he was driving it from Abeokuta towards Shagamu at about 1 a.m on 21 April 2023 at Shagamu interchange.
He added that he subsequently left the bus by the roadside with the intention of coming with a mechanic in the morning to fix it.
But surprisingly, when he got to the scene the following morning, the bus was no longer there and all efforts to find it proved abortive.
Upon the report, the DPO Ewu-oliwo division, CSP Toyosi Bello, detailed detectives to unravel those behind the disappearance of the said vehicle.
The detectives, who embarked on technical and intelligence based investigation were able to trace the missing vehicle to the compound of A@Z hotel at Elediye village Shagamu, where the vehicle has been butchered into pieces to be sold in parts.
The owner of the hotel, Paul Niwa was there and was promptly arrested and taken to custody.
His arrest led to the apprehension of the second suspect 27-year old Michael Odunayo.
On interrogation, Michael Odunayo confessed to the police that it was himself and one Eri Adeyemi, who is now at large, that towed the vehicle away from where it was parked at about 2 a.m and took it to Paul Niwa, who happened to be a regular buyer of such stolen vehicle.
He said Niwa bought the vehicle it at the rate of three hundred thousand naira.
According to the police, preliminary investigation revealed that Paul Niwa is a serial receiver of stolen vehicles, which he used to dismantle and sell in pieces.
Meanwhile, the acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Babakura Muhammed, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation.
He also directed that the remaining member of the gang, Eri Adeyemi, should be be hunted for and brought to book.