The partnership between the Nigeria Police Force, Zone 2 Headquarters, Lagos, and the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has led to the arrest of a 50-year-old accountant, Olusola Ajayi Joshua, nearly one year after he allegedly fled Nigeria.
Joshua was arrested following a petition dated July 11, 2025, addressed to the Office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, by a complainant whose name was withheld over an alleged burglary and theft at her residence on Sesayon Street, Government Reserved Area (GRA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The complainant alleged that burglars broke into her residence and carted away household items and valuables worth more than N150 million.
She suspected Joshua, who had served as an accountant at her late father’s company for more than 17 years, alongside six others, of involvement in the crime.
According to the complainant, she entrusted Joshua with a spare key to the apartment during the rainy season in 2022 to enable him access the property whenever necessary to help evacuate rainwater caused by leakages from the roof.
The complainant further stated that when she visited the apartment in July 2025, she discovered it had been burgled and several valuables stolen.
Consequently, detectives attached to the Zonal Servicom Team, formerly known as the Zonal Strike Force Team, commenced investigations into the matter, leading to the arrest of six suspects who allegedly had access to the property.
The suspects were subsequently charged to court after investigations were concluded. However, further investigations revealed that Joshua, who also had access to the property, fled to Canada in July 2025 and was thereafter declared wanted.
Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Olohundare Jimoh, while parading the suspect, said several efforts made to ensure Joshua answered the allegations against him proved unsuccessful.
Jimoh said this prompted the Zone 2 Headquarters to collaborate with INTERPOL on July 16, 2025, leading to the suspect’s passport being flagged.
INTERPOL Lagos eventually apprehended Joshua at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, June 1, 2026, at about 9:30 p.m. upon his return to Nigeria.
The suspect was subsequently handed over to the Zone 2 Headquarters on June 2, 2026, for further investigation and prosecution.
The Guardian
