Police arrest five suspected vehicle thieves in Cross River and recover five vehicles

Police in Nigeria’s Cross River State say they have arrested five suspected members of a network involved in stealing and reselling motorcycles and tricycles in Calabar.

The operation began with the arrest of Effiong Archibong Sunday, 28, on August 31, 2026. Officers recovered a motorcycle suspected to have been stolen from him. During preliminary questioning, police said, he allegedly implicated a person known as “Elewe” and described a chain in which motorcycles and tricycles were stolen in Akwa Ibom State before being transferred to Cross River for sale.

Acting on that information, officers from the Violent Crime Response Unit in Satellite Town arrested four more suspects at about 3 a.m. on September 1. They identified them as Archibong Archibong Nsa, 36; Okon Eyo Nsa, 75; Essien Ukpong, 60; and Nsa Essien Eyo, 24.

Searches of locations linked to the suspects produced three tricycles and one motorcycle suspected to have been stolen. Along with the motorcycle recovered during the first arrest, police said the operation had yielded five vehicles in total. They are checking ownership and the legal status of each vehicle.

The police said the allegations against the suspects remain subject to further investigation and judicial determination. Commissioner Ajo Geoffrey Ordue praised the unit and said the command would pursue leads against people involved in stealing, receiving, concealing or selling stolen vehicles.

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The Cross River State Police Command has recorded another breakthrough in its ongoing efforts against criminal syndicates, following an intelligence-led operation by the Violent Crime Response Unit, Satellite Town, Calabar, which led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of five vehicles suspected to be stolen.