The Ekiti State Police Command said its operatives have arrested six persons suspected to be motorcycle and vehicle snatchers in the state.
Police said the suspects were operating within Ikere/Ado-Ekiti and Igede-Ekiti in the state before they were apprehended by operatives of the Command’s Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
A statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officers, DSP Sunday Abutu said, “The suspects, during interrogation, confessed that they have snatched so many motorcycles from their owners within Ikere/Ado/Igede-Ekiti Axis.”
Abutu gave the names of the suspects as Adebayo Bashiru, Oluyemi Kunle, Gabriel Isaac, Abubakar Abdullahi, Macon Andrew and Peter Ninfa.
Police also nabbed two accomplices in relation to the alleged crime following further interrogations on the suspected motorcycles and vehicles’ snatchers.
“They further mentioned one Lawali Ibrahim and Kabiru Abdullahi as their accomplices who usually buy the motorcycles from them after snatching.
“Effort intensified led to the arrest of the three buyers who further confessed that they have transported seven of the stolen motorcycles to the Northern part of Nigeria for resale.
“One unregistered Yellow Color Bajaj Boxer Motorcycle was recovered from them at the point of arrest. Meanwhile, some of the victims came to identify the recovered motorcycle as the one used by the robbers to accost them and escape after robbing them,” Abutu said.
Similarly, the Ekiti Police spokesman said the Oye Divisional Police Headquarters, in collaboration with some residents of Trinity Hostel Area arrested a notorious motorcycle snatcher, identified as Bernard Shadrach on 25 April, 2024.
Abutu said Shadrach had snatched many motorcycles from their owners within Oye-Ekiti alongside his gang member who is currently on the run.
He said efforts are on for possible arrest of other fleeing suspects.