Get Guardian on GoogleThe Oyo State Police Command has arrested two men over alleged involvement in a taxi-related theft in Ibadan, following the identification of their vehicle and occupants by a woman who claimed to have been robbed during a previous journey.
The suspects, Gbenga Olubade, 42, and Oluwaseun Adeoye, 50, were arrested on November 4 after the woman reportedly sighted the same commercial taxi she had boarded on October 1 and recognised the occupants.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the arrest followed a distress call received at about 9.30 a.m. over a confrontation between a commercial taxi driver and a passenger at TCTC Junction, Idi Ope, along Eleyele Road, Ibadan.
He said detectives were immediately deployed to the scene, where the passenger, the driver and another occupant of the vehicle were taken to the police station for interrogation.
According to the statement, the woman told the police that she boarded a Micra taxi around Unity Hospital, Eleyele, on October 1, at about 9.50 a.m., heading towards Onireke.
She alleged that she subsequently found herself in the Oje area of the city, where she discovered that her iPhone 11 Pro, valued at N240,000, cash of N2,500, and clothing worth N10,000 were missing.
The total value of the missing items was put at N252,500.
The complainant reportedly said the incident came to mind on November 4 when she was on her way to work and attempting to board a commercial vehicle.
She said she sighted the same Micra taxi and recognised the two occupants she had encountered during the earlier incident.
The woman reportedly raised the alarm, attracting the attention of other road users, who assisted in apprehending the occupants before handing them over to the police.
Olayinka said the suspects’ statements had been obtained and that they had confessed to the allegations.
He added that further investigations had commenced to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine whether the suspects were connected to other similar cases.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, reassured residents of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant when boarding commercial vehicles, report suspicious activities promptly, and provide credible information that could assist the police in identifying and dismantling criminal networks.
