The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six suspected members of a syndicate accused of diverting imported goods worth more than ?20bn over a period of 19 years.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit following complaints from importers over missing consignments.
Those arrested were identified as Lateef Jamiu, Abubakar Amadu, Aliu Olanshile, Opeyemi Oyewale, Hassana Malami and Hassana Haruna.
A police source said Jamiu and Amadu were allegedly leaders of one of the most organised goods diversion syndicates operating in the country.
According to the source, the group allegedly targeted importers at Lagos ports by offering transportation services for the movement of goods to different parts of the country.
The suspects allegedly collected consignments after securing transportation contracts, before diverting the goods and cutting off communication with the owners.
‘They hang around the ports in Lagos and search for people in need of transportation for their imported goods to be moved to the North, East and other parts of Nigeria,’ the source said.
The source alleged that members of the syndicate also joined transport-related WhatsApp groups where importers advertised their need for trucks.
‘Once they get the offer, they disappear with the goods and erase every trace that could lead to their whereabouts by changing their phones and SIM cards,’ the source added.
The police source said the suspects had allegedly been involved in similar operations in the past and had been arrested and prosecuted before their release.
He alleged that Jamiu and Amadu were released from prison earlier in 2026 before they allegedly returned to the same activities.
In their latest operation, the suspects allegedly diverted goods including forklifts, fabrics and imported plates valued at about ?3bn.
The source said the group allegedly collected goods meant to be transported from Lagos to Kano but diverted the consignment to Ojota, Lagos, where it was allegedly offloaded and sold.
One of the suspected leaders, Jamiu, reportedly admitted that the goods were diverted.
‘It is true that we agreed to help the importer move the goods from the port in Lagos to Kano. We negotiated and loaded the goods at the port, but instead of going to Kano, we diverted to a place in
Ojota, where we offloaded them and sold them to our receivers,’ he was quoted as saying.
Amadu also reportedly admitted to working with Jamiu for about 19 years after they met while working as truck drivers.
The police said investigations led officers to trace some of the alleged diverted fabrics to a market in Agege, Lagos, where the importer identified them.
The operation also led to the arrest of alleged receivers of the goods and some truck drivers linked to the diversion.
Confirming the arrests, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, described the operation as a major breakthrough by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
She said investigations were ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate and recover more allegedly diverted goods.