The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six suspected members of a syndicate allegedly involved in diverting imported goods worth over N20 billion from the Apapa Port over the past 19 years.
Two of the suspects, Jamiu Lateef and Abubakar Amadu, were alleged to be the leaders of the syndicate and reportedly own multiple trailers used for transportation.
They are also said to have properties and investments in Niger Republic, the Republic of Benin and other places.
The two suspects, reportedly on the wanted lists of several police commands across the country, were said to have returned from prison earlier this year after they were arrested and prosecuted over alleged goods diversion.
They were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Lagos State Police Command following complaints from importers over missing imported products.
The police said the arrests were in line with the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to police officers across the country to go after criminals involved in economic sabotage.
The six suspects are Jamiu Lateef, Abubakar Amadu, Aliu Olanshile, Opeyemi Oyewale, Hassana Malami and Hassana Haruna, all described by the police as members of one of the two most notorious goods-diversion syndicates operating in the country.
A police source, who pleaded anonymity, said, “This group is one of the two most organised goods-diverting gangs in Nigeria. The other gang operates and is based in Kaduna. They target goods worth millions or billions of naira.
“Most of the members have been arrested many times in the past and, because it is a bailable offence, they returned to the crime once they were released from prison.”
The source added that about four members of the syndicate, including the two alleged leaders, Abubakar and Jamiu, were released from prison in February this year, while their drivers were released about two months later.
The source said the suspects usually stayed around the ports in Lagos and looked for people who needed transportation services to move imported goods to the North, East and other parts of the country.
“They also join WhatsApp platforms of different transporters and transportation companies at the port, where transportation needs are advertised. Once they get the offer, they disappear with the goods and erase any trace of their whereabouts by changing their phones and SIM cards.
“When Abubakar was arrested, 11 phones and eight SIM cards were recovered from him. He had earlier been arrested in 2023 with 49 phones and 188 SIM cards,” the source said.
The gang was allegedly responsible for the diversion of goods worth over N20 billion since it began operating about 19 years ago.
In its latest operation, the syndicate allegedly diverted goods, including forklifts, fabrics and imported plates, worth about N3 billion.
The suspects reportedly offered an importer their truck to transport the goods from Lagos to Kano at an agreed cost.
One of the alleged leaders, Jamiu, reportedly confessed to the police.
He said, “It is true that we agreed to help the importer move the goods from the port in Lagos to Kano. We negotiated, loaded the goods at the port but instead of going to Kano, we diverted to a place in Ojota, where we offloaded it and sold it to our receivers.”
Jamiu, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo State, whose wife and children reside overseas, also reportedly told the police that he shuttled between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, where some of his investments are located.
The other suspect, 45-year-old Abubakar Amadu, reportedly told police interrogators that he started diverting goods with Jamiu about 19 years ago after they met while driving trucks for their former employers.
He also reportedly said his investments were located in Niger Republic, where he fled after successful operations in Nigeria.
It was gathered that while investigating the recent diversion, the police team traced some of the diverted fabrics to a market in Agege, where the importer identified them.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the alleged receivers of the goods, the truck drivers and the two suspected leaders of the syndicate.
The suspects allegedly told the importer that their truck had broken down in Mokwa, Niger State, and collected money from him to repair it.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, described the arrests as a “big achievement” by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command.
She said investigation was ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate and recover some of the goods allegedly diverted during its previous operations.