Canada returnee arrested over alleged N150m apartment heist in Lagos

A 50-year-old Nigerian, Olushola Ajayi, based in Canada, has been arrested by the police for allegedly burglarizing an apartment in Lagos State, from which items worth approximately 150 million naira were stolen.

Ajayi was apprehended a few days ago at the airport upon his arrival from Canada, thanks to the operatives of INTERPOL and the Zone 2 Police Command in Onikan.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Olorundare Jimoh, addressed the arrest, stating, “Upon my assumption of duty, I reiterated my unwavering commitment to ensuring that there will be no safe space for anyone who has committed a crime.”

He continued, “Today, I am pleased to announce that through a collaborative effort between the Zone 2 Zonal Headquarters and INTERPOL, we have successfully apprehended a suspected Canada returnee linked to a case of burglary and theft reported in July 2025. Olushola Ajayi Joshua fled to Canada in an attempt to evade justice.”

According to the police, “Following a petition dated July 11, 2025, addressed to the Office of the AIG at Zone 2 Zonal Headquarters in Onikan, Lagos, a case of burglary and theft was reported at the complainant’s residence located on Sesayon Street, GRA, Ikeja.”

The complainant alleged that burglars had broken into her residence and stolen household properties and valuables worth more than 150 million naira (N150,000,000). She suspected Olushola Joshua Ajayi, an accountant at her late father’s company, and six other accomplices of being involved in the crime.

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The police chief also stated, “According to the complainant, she had entrusted Olushola Joshua Ajayi with a spare key to the residential apartment during the rainy season of 2022, allowing him to access the apartment when necessary to assist in evacuating rainwater caused by roof leaks.”

The complainant reported that upon visiting the apartment in July 2025, she discovered it had been burgled and that household properties and other valuables worth over N150,000,000 had been stolen.

“In response, detectives from the Zonal Servicom team (formerly known as the Zonal Strike Force team) began a thorough investigation into the complaint, leading to the arrest of six suspects who had access to the properties. They have since been charged in court.”

AIG Jimoh noted, “Frantic efforts to ensure that the Canada-based suspect answers to the allegations against him were unfruitful. This prompted Zone 2 Headquarters to collaborate with INTERPOL on July 16, 2025, leading to the flagging of his passport.”

As a result, INTERPOL in Lagos successfully apprehended Olushola Ajayi Joshua at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, June 1, 2026, at 9:30 PM upon his return to Nigeria.

The suspect has been handed over to Zone 2 Zonal Headquarters on June 2, 2026, for further investigation and prosecution to serve as a deterrent to potential criminals.