Hotelier, one other arrested for car theft

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 47-year-old hotelier, Paul Niwa, and one other, Michael Odunayo, for allegedly stealing a bus belonging to A&G Logistics Transport Company Sagamu in the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Oyeyemi said the victim, one Kazeem Anifowose, complained to the Ewu-Oliwo divisional headquarters, Sagamu, of the missing bus.

He said the incident happened last week Friday at Sagamu interchange in the state.

The PPRO said, “The complainant said he is 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 Sagamu at about 1 a.m, of the date, the vehicle developed a mechanical fault at Sagamu interchange, which made him park it by the roadside to come 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.”

Oyeyemi said the DPO Ewu-Oliwo division, CSP Toyosi Bello, instructed a team of detectives to investigate the disappearance of the vehicle.

He added that the detectives embarked on a technical and intelligence-based investigation and were able to trace the missing vehicle to the compound of A-Z Hotel at Elediye village Sagamu, where the vehicle has been butchered into pieces to be sold in parts.

Oyeyemi said, “The owner of the hotel, Paul Niwa, was there and then 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 a such stolen vehicle and he bought it at the rate of N300,000.”

Oyeyemi added that preliminary investigation revealed that Niwa is a serial receiver of stolen vehicles, which according to him,  he used to dismantle and sell in pieces.

The PPRO however, said the acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Babakura Muhammed, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation.

Oyeyemi said Muhammed also directed that the remaining member of the gang be hunted for and brought to book.

PUNCH