Oyo Police Arrest Two Suspected Serial Fraudsters Over Taxi-Related Theft in Ibadan

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested two men suspected of involvement in a taxi-related theft after a female passenger reportedly lost valuables worth N252,500 in Ibadan.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, November 9, 2026, saying the suspects were identified as 42-year-old Gbenga Olubade and 50-year-old Oluwaseun Adeoye.
According to the statement, the arrest followed a distress call received by the police on November 4 at about 9:30 a.m., reporting a confrontation between a commercial taxi driver and a passenger at TCTC Junction, Idi Ope, along Eleyele Road, Ibadan.
The police said detectives were immediately deployed to the scene, where the passenger, the driver and another occupant of the vehicle were taken to the station for interrogation.
During interrogation, the female complainant reportedly told the police that she had boarded a Micra taxi around Unity Hospital, Eleyele, on October 1, 2026, at about 9:50 a.m., heading towards Onireke, Ibadan.
She said she later found herself in the Oje area of the city under circumstances she could not explain, only to discover that her iPhone 11 Pro valued at N240,000, cash of N2,500 and clothing worth N10,000 were missing.
The complainant reportedly said she recognised the same taxi and its two occupants on November 4 while attempting to board a commercial vehicle on her way to work.
She subsequently raised an alarm, attracting the attention of other road users who helped apprehend the occupants before handing them over to the police.
The statement added that the two suspects made statements during police interrogation and confessed to the allegations.
The police said further investigations had commenced to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and determine whether the suspects were involved in other similar criminal activities.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, urged residents to remain vigilant when boarding commercial vehicles and promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies.
He also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging members of the public to provide credible information that could help identify and dismantle criminal networks operating in the state.