Man posing as police officer caught attempting to steal SUV in Ogun

A 42-year-old man, Omotoso Ayobami, who claimed to be a mobile police officer, was arrested on Friday while trying to steal a Toyota Highlander SUV at Magboro, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.

Members of the Oodua People’s Congress apprehended Ayobami as he attempted to drive the vehicle, with registration number KSF-146JZ, from a mechanic workshop after quietly picking up the keys from the dashboard.

According to Olayiwola Ogunsolu, National Commandant of OPC New Era, the suspect was intercepted inside the car after the workshop’s panel beater and OPC operatives chased him down. Ogunsolu said Ayobami initially claimed he was working under orders from senior police officers, including a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Abuja.

“We immediately contacted the police to take custody. When officers arrived, they asked us to untie him, but I insisted they first handcuff him to prevent escape,” Ogunsolu recounted.

The mechanic, Thomas Josiah, confirmed he had stepped away from the SUV when his apprentice noticed someone trying to move it. Josiah said he returned to find Ayobami inside the car, attempting to drive off.

While being questioned, Ayobami maintained he was a mobile policeman on official duty for the Joint Task Force and pleaded for leniency, saying, “I am not a thief. Please pardon me. I won’t do police work again.”

However, the Divisional Police Officer at Wawa Police Station, Samuel Ayegbede, declined to accept custody of the suspect, citing past incidents where the station incurred heavy medical expenses treating suspects who had been beaten.

Ogun State Police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, told reporters the police had yet to receive an official report on the matter.