A 47-year-old hotelier, Paul Niwa and Michael Odunayo have been arrested by men of Ogun State Police Command, for stealing a bus belonging to A&G Logistics Transport Company Shagamu.
The two suspects were arrested following a report lodged at Ewu-oliwo Divisional Headquarters, Shagamu, on the 21st of April 2023, by Anifowose Kazeem, who reported that he was the driver in charge of a T4 Volkswagen bus with registration number AAB 22 XB, and that while driving the said vehicle from Abeokuta towards Shagamu at about 1: a.m, of the date, the vehicle developed a mechanical fault at Shagamu interchange, which made him park it 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 the 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 then promptly arrested and taken into custody.
His arrest led to the apprehension of the second suspect 27-year-old Michael Odunayo.
On interrogation, 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 and he bought it at the rate of N300,000.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Paul Niwa is a serial receiver of stolen vehicles, which he used to dismantle and sell in pieces.
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 be hunted for and brought to book.
