A Lagos developer, Olakanmi Ogundele, has reported that his newly employed driver, Olufemi Jogbodo, allegedly absconded with his Gelly Saloon vehicle (number plate AGL586GW) just four days after starting work.
Ogundele told PUNCH Metro on Sunday that the driver, who initially identified himself as Adeleye, was assigned to him by his company manager on November 18 following the illness of his previous driver.
“We went to Ijebu Ode on November 18 and returned to Lagos on November 20. The following day, he drove me to my office in Ikoyi. While I was in a meeting, he told security I was sending him on an errand. The security could not confirm with me, and that’s when he drove off with the car and never returned,” Ogundele said.
The incident was promptly reported to the Ikoyi Police Division’s tactical team, but Ogundele lamented that efforts to locate the suspect have so far been unsuccessful.
Court and police documents revealed that Jogbodo is 44 years old, resides on Dele Ogunbowale Street in Ikate, and maintains 11 bank accounts. Some of his relatives, including his wife’s sister and a cousin, were briefly detained during investigations but released after exceeding permissible detention periods.
“We also found that his wife’s sister had an elderly 75-year-old mother in Agbado Ijaiye, who we could not detain due to her age,” Ogundele explained.
The manager responsible for hiring the driver was arrested and interrogated. Ogundele claimed that the manager admitted failing to verify the driver’s identity and address, and that the driver had given false information during employment.
Plans are reportedly underway to offer a reward to help apprehend Jogbodo and recover the stolen vehicle.
Attempts to reach Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Adebisi Abimbola, for comment were unsuccessful.
This case follows a pattern of vehicle theft involving fake drivers. In August, the Lagos State Police Command uncovered a syndicate that recruited drivers to steal their employers’ cars, with gang leader Chinedu Emmanuel arrested after victims’ vehicles were taken across state borders.
