The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six suspected members of a syndicate allegedly involved in diverting imported goods worth more than N20bn over the past 19 years.
The suspects were identified as Lateef Jamiu, Abubakar Amadu, Aliu Olanshile, Opeyemi Oyewale, Hassana Malami and Hassana Haruna.
They were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit following complaints from importers over consignments that allegedly disappeared after being handed over to transporters.
A police source said Jamiu and Amadu were allegedly among the leaders of one of the organised goods-diversion groups operating in the country. The source added that some members had previously been arrested and prosecuted for similar offences.
According to the source, the suspects usually stayed around the Lagos ports and looked for importers seeking trucks to move their goods to other parts of Nigeria.
They allegedly monitored transportation requests through WhatsApp groups used by transporters and companies. After securing jobs, they would reportedly divert the consignments instead of delivering them to their intended destinations.
The source said the suspects allegedly changed their phones and SIM cards after each operation in an attempt to prevent investigators from tracing them.
Eleven phones and eight SIM cards were reportedly recovered from Amadu during his latest arrest. The police source said he had also been arrested in 2023 with 49 phones and 188 SIM cards.
In the latest incident, the suspects allegedly diverted forklifts, fabrics, imported plates and other goods estimated at about N3bn.
The goods were reportedly loaded in Lagos for transportation to Kano, but the suspects allegedly diverted the truck to Ojota, Lagos, where the consignment was offloaded and sold to suspected receivers.
One of the alleged leaders, Jamiu, reportedly admitted to the police that the goods were diverted after they had agreed to transport them to Kano.
Amadu, 45, also reportedly told investigators that he had been involved in goods diversion with Jamiu for about 19 years after they met while working as truck drivers.
Police investigations reportedly traced some of the diverted fabrics to a market in Agege, Lagos, where the importer identified the goods.
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Further investigation allegedly led to the arrest of suspected receivers, truck drivers and the two alleged leaders.
The suspects had reportedly informed the importer that their truck broke down in Mokwa, Niger State, and allegedly collected money from him under the claim that it was needed for repairs.
Confirming the arrests, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the operation was a major achievement by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
She said the investigation was still ongoing, with the police working to apprehend other suspected members of the syndicate and recover more goods allegedly diverted during previous operations.
Adebisi said the operation was carried out in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for officers to intensify efforts against criminal activities linked to economic sabotage.
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