Police Foil Cross-Border Bus Smuggling Plot, Arrest Driver and Guarantor at Ogun Border

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have thwarted an attempt to smuggle a stolen company bus into the Benin Republic, arresting the vehicle’s driver and his guarantor in a late-night operation along the Idiroko border corridor.

The suspects, identified as 46-year-old Seun Lawal and 38-year-old Ademola Oriyomi, were arrested after police intercepted a 28-seater Toyota Coaster bus that had earlier been reported stolen from Lagos.

Police said the operation followed credible intelligence received on June 12 indicating that the suspects had hidden the vehicle in the Babaloke area of Idiroko and were preparing to move it across the international border for illegal sale.

Acting on the information, the Divisional Police Officer of Idiroko Division, CSP Adejuwon Ariyo, led a surveillance team to the location where the suspects were allegedly attempting to ferry the vehicle out of the country.

In a dramatic move to prevent the bus from escaping across the border, operatives shot one of its tyres, immobilising the vehicle and forcing the suspects to abandon their plan.

The swift intervention led to the recovery of the stolen Toyota Coaster bus and the arrest of the two suspects at the scene.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Lawal, who worked as a company driver, allegedly connived with Oriyomi, his guarantor, to steal the bus and sell it in the neighbouring Benin Republic.

According to police findings, the suspects confessed that proceeds from the planned sale were intended to fund their relocation after the transaction.

Investigators are now probing possible links between the suspects and wider cross-border vehicle theft networks operating along Nigeria’s western border.

Commending the operation, the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Bode Ojajuni, praised the professionalism and tactical response of CSP Adejuwon Ariyo and officers of the Idiroko Division.

He said the successful interception underscored the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing, enhanced border security and efforts to dismantle criminal networks exploiting border routes for illicit activities.

The police commissioner also urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to security agencies, assuring that the command would continue to deny criminals safe havens within Ogun State and its border communities.

The suspects remain in police custody as investigations continue.