The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, has revealed how a suspected mastermind behind a multi million naira burglary in Lagos was tracked across international borders and arrested while attempting to secretly return to Nigeria from Canada.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Zonal Headquarters, the AIG disclosed that the breakthrough underscored the growing operational synergy between the Nigerian Police Force and Interpol in combating transnational crime and ensuring fugitives do not evade justice.
Jimoh recalled that the case originated from a burglary and large scale theft reported on July 11, 2025, in the Government Reserved Area of Ikeja, Lagos, where valuables estimated at over N200 million were allegedly stolen from a luxury five bedroom duplex.
According to him, the crime shocked residents after the entire property was reportedly stripped of high value items by members of a coordinated criminal syndicate operating within the zone.
The police boss stated that intensive investigations immediately commenced, leading to the arrest of six suspects directly linked to the operation, all of whom have since been arraigned before the court and remanded in prison custody pending further proceedings.
He identified the alleged kingpin as Olusola Ajayi Joshua, a 50 year old accountant to the late owner of the residence, noting that the deceased’s daughter later emerged as the principal complainant in the matter.
Jimoh explained that as investigators closed in on the suspect, Joshua allegedly fled Nigeria and escaped to Canada in a bid to evade arrest and frustrate ongoing investigations.
The Zone 2 Command subsequently activated the support of Interpol Nigeria on July 16, 2025, requesting international assistance to monitor, trace and apprehend the fleeing suspect wherever he surfaced globally.
The AIG disclosed that the collaborative efforts eventually paid off on June 1, when Joshua was intercepted and arrested while allegedly attempting to re enter Nigeria aboard a foreign airline flight from Canada.
He said the arrest demonstrated that criminals could no longer hide behind international borders, stressing that modern policing and cross border intelligence sharing had significantly strengthened the capacity of law enforcement agencies.
Jimoh noted that the suspect had already made confessional statements under caution regarding his alleged involvement in the crime and the activities of other members of the syndicate currently facing prosecution.
He added that investigators were expanding the probe to identify and arrest individuals who knowingly purchased or concealed the stolen items carted away from the residence during the operation.
According to the police authorities, investigations revealed that the criminal gang allegedly emptied the entire duplex, taking away valuables worth hundreds of millions of naira in one of the most audacious residential theft cases recorded within the zone.
The AIG assured residents of Lagos and Ogun states that the command had intensified crime prevention and detection strategies, in line with directives aimed at reducing criminal activities and restoring public confidence in security agencies.
Jimoh reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Police Force under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to ensuring that offenders are tracked, arrested and prosecuted irrespective of where they flee, insisting that no stone would be left unturned in bringing all those connected to the crime to justice.