OYO: Police arrest 168 suspected criminals

The Oyo State Police Command on Thursday disclosed that it had arrested a total of 168 suspected criminals in the first phase of the ’ember months’ offensive on criminals and criminally in the State.

While parading 64 of the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Samuel Adegnuyi, said the command employed intensive stop-and-search, purposeful and aggressive vehicle patrol, sustained intelligence-led raids and crackdown on commercial motorcyclists ‘Okada riders’ carrying more than one passenger to get the suspects arrested.

Adegbuyi further explained that 104 of the suspects were still undergoing interrogations.Among the 64 suspects paraded, Adegbuyi said 53 persons were arrested for armed robbery, two for murder, three for rituals and unlawful possession of human skulls, three for fraud and unlawful possession of fake currency, two for human trafficking and child labour while one of them was arrested for impersonation.

Recovered from the suspects were 14 firearms, 12 ammunition and cartridges, $75,100, seven vehicles, seven knives, a gas cylinder, a sledge hammer, a big wrench, a mask, assorted cell phones and ATM cards.

Others include a master key, vehicle particulars, cutlasses, a dagger, fake police identity card, police kits, SIM cards, weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, criminal charms, laptop, and a cash sum of N20,000.

The three suspects arrested with human skulls are Ramoni Akeem, 41, Azeez Ojelade, 36, and Salimon Salami, 40.  They were arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state command at alleged hideouts in Ogbomoso on October 10, this year, Adegbuyi said.

The police boss said: “I am spurred by the imperative of informing the public of efforts of the Oyo State Police Command to vigorously fight crimes and criminality in the state. Conscious of the approaching yuletide and its 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 passenger.

All these efforts are deliberate and are intended to achieve the desired objective of providing adequate security for all and sundry in the state before, during and after the festive period.

These efforts have yielded the desired results as many criminals were arrested and stolen property recovered during the first part of the ember months.”