By Jelili Gbadamosi
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested five suspects in connection with separate cases of shop breaking in the Ado-Odo area of the state and recovered stolen items.
The suspects include four teenagers who were allegedly involved in multiple shop burglaries within the area.
The command disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday by the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Oluborode Opeyemi.
According to the statement, the first incident occurred at about 3:30 a.m. on September 2, 2026, after community members alerted the police to suspicious movement inside a market stall.
Following the report, patrol teams were mobilised to the scene, where two teenagers, identified as 15-year-old Lateef Kalid and 16-year-old Kareem Jamal, were allegedly arrested inside the shop.
The police said stolen foodstuffs and other items were recovered from the suspects.
Further interrogation reportedly led to the arrest of another teenager, 14-year-old Sofiu Alabi, who allegedly admitted providing the key used to gain access to the shop.
The three suspects have since been charged to court, according to the command.
In a separate incident on September 4, two other teenagers, identified as 16-year-old Taofik Abioro and 15-year-old Ogundele Monday, were apprehended by local security operatives of the So-Safe Corps and handed over to police detectives.
The command said preliminary interrogation indicated that the two suspects confessed to participating in several shop burglaries across Ado-Odo.
Police detectives subsequently searched their premises and recovered additional items suspected to have been stolen.
The case has been transferred for further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend an accomplice who is still at large.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended officers of the Ado-Odo Division for their swift response and praised members of the So-Safe Corps and local communities for assisting the police.
Ojajuni stressed the importance of cooperation between security agencies and communities in preventing and disrupting criminal activities.
He also urged parents, guardians and community leaders to strengthen supervision of young people and discourage them from engaging in criminal activities.
The police commissioner further advised business owners to improve security around their shops and promptly report suspicious movements to security agencies.
The command urged residents to report emergencies through The Gateway Shield toll-free line: 0800 000 9111, or 09164859299 and 09154293464.
