A 42-year-old man, Omotoso Ayobami, who claimed to be a mobile police officer, was apprehended on Friday while allegedly attempting to steal a Toyota Highlander SUV at Magboro, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.
The suspect was caught by operatives of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) as he tried to drive the SUV, bearing registration number KSF-146JZ, from a mechanic workshop in the area.
Eyewitnesses said Ayobami took the car key from the dashboard while the mechanic was away, started the engine, and was about to reverse the vehicle when he was intercepted.
Speaking to City Round, the National Commandant of OPC New Era, Olayiwola Ogunsolu, confirmed the arrest.
“He picked up the key while the mechanic was working and tried to make away with the vehicle.
Fortunately, the panel beater and some of our boys chased and caught him inside the car,” he said.
Ogunsolu added that the suspect claimed to be attached to the Joint Task Force under the Akpata Area Command and mentioned several senior officers, including a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Abuja, who he claimed were aware of his activities.
Due to concerns about a potential escape, Ogunsolu insisted that the police place the suspect in handcuffs before handing him over.
The workshop owner, Thomas Josiah, also confirmed the attempted theft. “I left the key on the dashboard while working on the car.
My apprentice noticed someone moving the vehicle and alerted me. We caught him inside the car.”
When questioned, Ayobami insisted he was on official duty.
“I’m a mobile police officer. My former lecturer connected me to this job.
The number plate belongs to the Joint Task Force on Counterterrorism,” he claimed.
He pleaded for mercy, saying, “They should forgive me. I won’t do police work again. I’m not a thief.”
However, the Divisional Police Officer of Wawa Police Station, Samuel Ayegbede, reportedly declined to take custody of the suspect, stating that he appeared to have been assaulted.
“The last time we accepted a similar case, I spent over N300,000 treating the suspect,” he said.
Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, said the police had not yet received any official report on the incident.