Police Recover Two Suspected Stolen Vehicles, Arrest Suspects In Edo

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The Edo State Police Command has recovered two suspected stolen vehicles and arrested suspects linked to the alleged theft during a routine stop-and-search operation in Benin City.

In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoadem, said operatives attached to the Textile Mill Road Division intercepted an ash-coloured Daihatsu Hijet minibus with registration number GBZ 646 YK, Edo State, at a checkpoint along Siluko Road on June 22, 2026.

Preliminary checks, according to the police, revealed that the vehicle’s documents were forged.

Police said investigations showed that the vehicle belonged to Dr Timothy Etinosa, who had earlier handed it over to one Emmanuel Afolayan under a hire-purchase agreement.

Afolayan allegedly absconded with the vehicle in 2024, forged its documents and sold it to another person.

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The driver of the vehicle, 46-year-old Ezikiel Aguele, was arrested and subsequently led operatives to the arrest of the principal suspect, Emmanuel Afolayan, as well as the recovery of another vehicle allegedly stolen in a similar manner.

The command said the suspects made confessional statements and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, commended the vigilance and professionalism of the officers involved in the operation, noting that stop-and-search operations remain a proactive policing strategy for crime prevention, detection, recovery of stolen property and the arrest of criminal elements.

Agbonika urged members of the public to remain law-abiding and continue to provide timely and credible information to security agencies to support efforts to combat crime and criminality across the state.