The Ondo State Police Command has arrested seven suspects in connection with the theft of goods valued at about ₦20 million from warehouses and commercial outlets across parts of the state. The arrests followed weeks of intelligence led operations aimed at dismantling organised theft networks exploiting security gaps within warehouse facilities and logistics supply chains in Akure and neighbouring towns.
According to police sources, the suspects allegedly relied on insider information to identify storage locations, monitor movement schedules, and off load goods before diverting them into open markets and informal sales channels. The operation was coordinated under the supervision of the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolayan, as part of a broader crackdown on organised property crime in the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami Omisanya, said preliminary investigations suggest the suspects may be linked to wider interstate criminal syndicates involved in moving stolen goods across state borders, particularly along the Lagos Ibadan economic corridor. She noted that detectives are expanding the investigation to identify receivers and collaborators operating outside Ondo State.
Police authorities described the arrests as a clear warning that criminal networks undermining commercial activity and investor confidence will not be tolerated. Community leaders and business owners have welcomed the development, with several traders expressing relief over what they described as renewed confidence in public safety and market security.
Security analysts say the operation highlights the growing need for sustained community policing, improved warehouse security standards, and closer collaboration between state police commands and the Nigeria Customs Service to prevent diversion of goods before they leave bonded facilities. The arrests come amid increasing public calls for stronger enforcement of the rule of law and safer commercial environments across major economic centres in the South West and Nigeria at large.
