By Abbanobi -Eku Onyeka
Abuja
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has dismantled a notorious interstate car-snatching syndicate operating across the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Benue, Kogi, and Plateau States, following a directive from the Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, according to ACC Afolabi Babawale, National Public Relations Officer, NSCDC National Headquarters, Abuja on Friday.
Acting on credible intelligence, the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, CG SIS, launched a targeted operation that led to the arrest of six suspects. They were identified as Hassan Bukar; Adam Musa, also known as Yellow; Ibrahim Haruna, a.k.a. Biggie; Adamu Mohammed; Sahal Abdullahi Aliyu; and Abubakar Yusuf. Other members of the syndicate remain at large.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang stole vehicles and sold them to scrap and spare parts dealers who dismantled the cars, removed components for resale, and erased traces of ownership. Payments were laundered through cash or PoS transfers to avoid detection.
Commander of the CG SIS, Commandant A.S. Dandaura, said five shops at Zuba Scrap Market have been sealed and marked as exhibits. A dismantled Toyota Camry sold for ₦1.15 million was also recovered during the operation.
Dandaura stated that the CG NSCDC will sustain a discreet crackdown on criminal networks threatening public safety, adding that investigations have been expanded to apprehend fleeing members of the syndicate.
One of the suspects, Abdulsalam Isa, admitted in his statement that he acted as a courier for Ismail Haruna, a.k.a. Malam na TK, who is currently at large. Isa said he collected vehicles from suppliers, including one Mohammed in Gwagwalada and an individual identified as “Igbo man in Ugwako.”
According to investigators, Isa disclosed that during Ramadan, he and Ismail visited Sauka to confront a suspect named Dangwari over unpaid dues. Ismail allegedly instructed him to collect stolen vehicles from Dangwari at Sauka Bridge and Airport Bridge, though the deliveries failed. He was eventually arrested at Zuba Bridge while attempting to pick up another stolen vehicle.
Financial records showed regular transactions between Abdulsalam and Ismail Haruna, linking Ismail to the coordination and disposal of stolen vehicles. A prima facie case of criminal conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property, and assisting in concealment has been established against the suspects under Sections 96, 286, 305, and 318 of the Penal Code.
Hassan Bukar was arrested with a stolen Toyota Corolla on April 3, 2026, in Keffi and confessed to moving over 160 stolen vehicles since 2014. Adam Musa was implicated in the purchase and resale of several stolen cars, including a Honda Civic and Toyota Rav4. Others, including Sahal Aliyu Abdullahi and Abubakar Yusuf, were linked to dismantling and selling parts without verifying ownership. One Mathew Atsenga Aondongu of Makurdi is still at large.
Exhibits recovered include a Toyota Corolla LE 2003, Honda EOD 2004, Toyota Corolla CE, Toyota Corolla 1998, Honda Accord 2008, eight different vehicle particulars, and 61 vehicle license plates.
In a separate incident on May 5, 2026, NSCDC operatives at BUA International Cement Factory, Okpella, Edo State, arrested two company employees, Goodday Okhagbe and Monday Previous, for theft of four 25-liter jerrycans of hydraulic fluid. Another two suspects, Mainasara Samuel Markus and Sanni Abba, were arrested for vandalism and theft of installed cables at the plant’s Line 1 preheater machine.
The NSCDC reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating organized crime and urged the public to report suspicious vehicle transactions and demand valid ownership documents before purchase. All suspects, according to the statement will be charged in court to serve as a deterrent to others.
according to ACC Afolabi Babawale, National Public Relations Officer, NSCDC National Headquarters, Abuja.
