Ademola Babalola in Ibadan
It was a harvest of criminals in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital as the state Police Command yesterday paraded 64 robbery suspects out of 167 arrested during the first half of ember months operation by the command.
The suspects, according to the state Commissioner of Police, Samuel Adegbuyi, while addressing journalists at the command headquarters, were involved in series of criminal activities such as rituals , fake currency operation, murder, human trafficking and impersonation.
Adegbuyi, who disclosed that a high number of robbery gangs who had been terrorising some Elebu, Challenge, Orita and its environs in Ibadan were nabbed in the operation, stated that he was spurred by the imperative of informing the public of efforts of “Oyo State Police Command to vigorously fight crimes and criminality in the state.”
Among the suspects, according to the Adegbuyi is a team of robbers who were recently caught wile attempting to break into the vault of a new generation bank in Oyo town. The suspects, Ismaila Olarinde, Moshood Adeniyi, Ahmed Akande and Abiodun confessed to the crime, revealing that one Saliu Ahmed was the brain behind their operations.
In addition, a gang of Okada robbers who recently killed a son of their victims along Elebu area in Ibadan after robbing the family of a huge sum of amount was paraded.
The suspects, who confessed to their crimes, however, expressed regrets that they had no intention to kill the young man.
According to the CP, “In the first half of ember months, Oyo Police Command has arrested over 167 hardened criminals through intelligence report and information from the public. Of the list, 53 of them were nabbed for armed robbery, three for ritual, another three suspects for fake currency operations, two for murder, one for impersonation and two for human trafficking.
“Today, out of the suspects who are currently being interrogated and screened, 67 are here for parade ranges from series of offences.”
Assuring the public of a crime-free yuletide season, the police commissioner said the command is “conscious of the approaching yuletide and it’s attendant rise in criminal activities by unscrupulous criminal elements who are blinded by avarice and who would stop at nothing to acquire ill-gotten wealth during this period, the command has restructured all its security architecture to brace up to this challenge.
“In doing this, the command has embarked on intensive stop and search, purposeful and aggressive vehicle patrol, sustained intelligence-led raid and crackdown on Okada riders carrying more than one passengers. All these efforts are deliberate and are intended to achieve desired objective of providing adequate security for all and sundry in the state before, during and after the festive period.”
