Man Impersonating Police Officer Arrested For Attempted Car Theft In Ogun

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

The suspect was apprehended by operatives of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) as he tried to drive away the vehicle with registration number Lagos KSF-146JZ from a mechanic workshop in the area.

Eyewitnesses reported that Ayobami entered the workshop, picked up the car keys from the dashboard while the mechanic was momentarily away, started the engine, and was attempting to reverse the vehicle when he was intercepted.

Speaking at the scene, the National Commandant of OPC New Era, Olayiwola Ogunsolu, narrated how the suspect was caught. “He picked the key when the mechanic was working on the vehicle and tried to make away with it. Luckily, the panel beater and some of our boys ran after him and caught him inside the car,” Ogunsolu said.

Ogunsolu further disclosed that the suspect identified himself as a mobile police officer attached to the Joint Task Force under the Akpata Area Command and mentioned several high-ranking police officers in Abuja allegedly aware of his operations. “He claimed he works with some high-ranking police officers, including a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Abuja. That is why we immediately called the police so he could be handed over properly. When the officers came, they asked us to untie him, but I insisted they put handcuffs on him first to prevent escape,” he added.

Thomas Josiah, the mechanic and owner of the workshop, confirmed the account, saying, “I was working on the vehicle and left the key on the dashboard. My apprentice alerted me that someone was moving the car. I rushed back and caught him inside the car trying to drive it away.”

During questioning, Ayobami insisted on his police identity, saying he was on an assignment. “I am a mobile police officer. My former lecturer told me about this job. The number plate is for the Joint Task Force on Counterterrorism,” he said. He also claimed that some senior officers in Abuja were aware of his presence in Lagos. “They should pardon me. I won’t do police work again. I am not a thief,” he pleaded.

However, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Wawa Police Station, Samuel Ayegbede, reportedly declined to take the suspect into custody, citing concerns over prior medical expenses. “The last time we accepted such a case, I personally spent over N300,000 treating the suspect,” the DPO stated.

When contacted, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, said the police had not yet received any official report regarding the incident.