Hotelier, One Other Arrested For Car Theft On Ogun

Operatives of the Ogun state police command, have arrested a 47-year-old hotelier, Paul Niwa and one Michael Odunayo for allegedly stealing a bus.

The vehicle, a T4 Volkswagen bus with registration number AAB 22 XB belonged to a Logistics Transport Company in Sagamu area of the state.

The suspects were arrested on Friday, April 21 in Elediye village in Sagamu.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, Abimbola Oyeyemi who confirmed the arrest to journalists in Abeokuta on Sunday, said the suspects were arrested following a report lodged at Ewu-Oliwo divisional headquarters Sagamu by the driver of the bus, one Anifowose Kazeem.

According to Oyeyemi, the driver told the police that, he parked the vehicle by the roadside at Sagamu Interchange, when it developed a mechanical fault while driving it along the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway.

But, when he got to where the vehicle was parked 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 traced the missing vehicle to the compound of A@Z hotel at Elediye village Shagamu, where the vehicle had been butchered into pieces to be sold in parts.

“The owner of the hotel, Paul Niwa 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 and he bought it at the rate of N300,000”, Oyeyemi said.

He added that, preliminary investigation by the police revealed that, Paul Niwa is a serial receiver of stolen vehicles, which he used to dismantle and sell in pieces.