Operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad RRS, have arrested a 47-year-old man, Taiwo Hassan, for allegedly stealing goods from a moving truck.
Hassan was apprehended in the early hours of Saturday, July 6, around 2:00 am in the Costain area of Lagos while reportedly transferring stolen items into another vehicle.
The arrest followed an extended period of surveillance by the RRS, based on intelligence linking Hassan to a syndicate believed to be behind a series of cargo thefts targeting trucks traveling along the Apapa port corridor and surrounding areas.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect is part of a criminal gang that specialises in pilfering goods from trucks either in motion or momentarily halted in traffic. The stolen items are usually offloaded discreetly into getaway vehicles without the knowledge of the truck drivers.
At the scene of the arrest, officers recovered several stolen items from the suspect’s Toyota Sienna vehicle, including 10 cartons of Top Café 3-in-1 coffee, seven Littmann Classic II stethoscopes, multiple medical textbooks, doctors’ manuals, and two pouches containing surgical theatre kits.
Hassan’s accomplice, identified only as Sheriff, managed to flee the scene upon spotting the approaching officers and is currently at large.
Confirming the development, RRS Commander, CSP Shola Jejeloye, stated that the suspect will be charged in court.
He added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect and dismantle the broader criminal network operating in the area.
