A high-stakes police operation in Rivers State has brought down a dangerous inter-state car-snatching syndicate with international connections, leading to the arrest of twelve suspects and the recovery of twenty-two stolen vehicles. The gang’s network reportedly stretched across eight Nigerian states and into Cameroon, where stolen cars were either sold whole or dismantled for parts.
The breakthrough came after a man identified as Enoch Daniel was attacked at gunpoint in September 2024 while driving his Toyota Hiace in Onne, Eleme Local Government Area. The armed robbers escaped with the vehicle, sparking a months-long investigation by the Rivers State Police Command’s C4i Strike Force and Octopus Unit. Acting on intelligence, detectives tracked the syndicate’s movements across Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Kano States, leading to multiple arrests and vehicle recoveries.
Police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko revealed that the group’s suspected ringleader, Falco Ibrahim, is still at large. His operations allegedly extended to Rivers, Anambra, Taraba, Enugu, Borno, Kano, Delta, and Akwa Ibom States. According to police findings, vehicles were moved through his associate, Shehu Shagari, now in custody, before being smuggled into Cameroon’s black market.
Among those arrested was Adamu Musa, a dismissed police officer from Akwa Ibom, found with eleven stolen cars in his possession. Two ex-convicts, John Amadi, 40, and Nna Goodluck, 45, both from Rivers State, confessed to being hired by one Godspower Okpa to snatch vehicles using hammers, each receiving ₦90,000 per job. Another suspect, 53-year-old ex-convict Onyekachi Igwe, admitted earning over ₦5 million in just eight months while acting as the gang’s Port Harcourt liaison.
Also in custody are auto-electricians Ikechukwu Joseph, 35, and Michael Emerenwa, 40, accused of altering stolen vehicles for export; self-proclaimed pastor Elijah Nwauwa Sunday, 45, from Imo State, who allegedly brokered deals for the syndicate at the Mgbuka-Obosi scrap market in Onitsha; ex-convict Samuel Ejigbo, 39, from Kogi State, described as a local field operator; and 25-year-old Umar Jabbo from Taraba State, who was caught attempting to purchase a stolen Toyota Camry.
Iringe-Koko noted that the successful operation reflects the police command’s determination to make Rivers State a hostile environment for criminal elements. She urged residents to remain alert and provide credible information that could help law enforcement track down the remaining members of the gang. All suspects will be charged once investigations are complete, while efforts continue to capture the fugitive leader and other accomplices still on the run.