(Motorcycle Theft. Photo by Hope Newspaper)
The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested three suspects over alleged motorcycle theft and recovered seven suspected stolen motorcycles in separate operations across the state.
The suspects are Mustapha Lekan, 38, from Osun State, who was arrested for allegedly stealing motorcycles, and Blessing Adebiyi and Ogunbayo Adebiyi, who were apprehended for allegedly receiving stolen motorcycles.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, disclosed this in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, noting that the suspects were arrested in Ado Ekiti, Ido Ekiti and Ilogbo Ekiti on Saturday.
Giving details of the operation, Abutu explained that on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at about 2 p.m., operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit, acting on credible intelligence, received information that a suspect had stolen a red Bajaj motorcycle around the Olaoluwa Muslim Grammar School area in Ado-Ekiti and was fleeing towards the Ilawe Road axis.
He said the VCRU patrol team, who were on stop-and-search duty along Ilawe Road, swiftly swung into action, sighted the stolen motorcycle, engaged the suspect in a chase, and successfully apprehended him.
The suspect was identified as Mustapha Lekan, from whom the stolen motorcycle was recovered.
According to Abutu, during interrogation, the suspect confessed to stealing two motorcycles within Ado-Ekiti, and further investigation led detectives to Ilogbo Ekiti and Ido Ekiti, where two suspected receivers of stolen motorcycles, Adebiyi Blessing and Ogunbayo Adebiyi, were arrested.
He said the operatives subsequently recovered six additional motorcycles suspected to have been stolen, with investigations ongoing to identify the rightful owners and apprehend other members of the criminal network.
The police spokesman said the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
Abutu said the Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade, commended the operatives for their swift response, professionalism and commitment to protecting lives and property across the state, reaffirming the command’s resolve to sustain intelligence-led policing and rid Ekiti State of criminal elements.
He urged members of the public to continue supporting the police with timely and credible information to aid the fight against crime in the state, adding that the command remains committed to protecting lives and property and warned criminal elements to desist from unlawful activities or face the full weight of the law.
