By Ademola Ade
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested five teenagers over alleged multiple shop burglaries in Ado-Odo, recovering stolen foodstuffs and other items in a series of coordinated operations.
The suspects, aged between 14 and 16, were arrested in separate operations involving the police, community members and local security operatives.
The Command said two of the suspects, 15-year-old Lateef Kalid and 16-year-old Kareem Jamal, were caught inside a market stall at about 3:30 a.m. on September 2, 2026, after residents alerted the police to suspicious movements.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Oluborode Opeyemi, police patrol teams responded to the alert and apprehended the two teenagers inside the shop.
Stolen foodstuffs and other items were reportedly recovered from them.
The police said further interrogation led to the arrest of another teenager, 14-year-old Sofiu Alabi, who allegedly admitted supplying the key used to gain access to the shop.
The three suspects have since been charged to court, the Command said.
In a related operation on September 4, two other teenagers, 16-year-old Taofik Abioro and 15-year-old Ogundele Monday, were apprehended by 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 multiple shop burglaries across Ado-Odo.
“Subsequent searches at their premises yielded additional stolen items,” the statement said.
The case has been referred for further investigation, while police operatives are also working to track down an alleged accomplice who is still at large.
Reacting to the arrests, the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended officers of the Ado-Odo Division for their swift response, while also praising the So-Safe Corps and residents for their cooperation.
Ojajuni stressed that “collaborative stakeholder engagement remains vital to disrupting criminal networks.”
The commissioner urged parents, guardians and community leaders to pay closer attention to the activities of young people and prevent them from being drawn into criminal activities.
He also advised shop owners and other business operators to strengthen security around their premises and promptly report suspicious movements to the police and other security agencies.
