Dare Babalola
The Oyo State Police Command has announced the arrest of three suspects and the recovery of goods valued at Thirty-One Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N31,750,000) in connection with an armed robbery incident in Ibadan, made possible by a credible public tip-off.
DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, Police Public Relations Officer, stated on Wednesday that the operation followed a report of an armed robbery incident where Ezekiel Inije was robbed at gunpoint by a five-man gang near Coca-Cola, Asejire, Ibadan.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, CP Femi Haruna, “personally directed the CP Monitoring Unit to swing into immediate action,” leveraging human intelligence, technological know-how, and investigative expertise to track the syndicate to the Oko area of Ogbomoso.
The three suspects arrested were identified as, “Chigbo Mesoma, 24; Erondu Wisdom, 29; and Okechukwu Emmanuel, 25.”
The recovered items include a Howo truck (Lagos registration AAA 724 YJ) loaded with 2,000 bags of Karma Agric Chicken Feeds valued at N31.75 million, a cutlass, and a Lagos State vehicle number plate LSR 339 XW.
CP Haruna commended the operatives, saying, “Their swift response, professionalism, and dedication led to this success.
“I also express appreciation to members of the public whose timely and credible intelligence made this operation possible. Community cooperation remains invaluable in the fight against crime.”
He added that “no stone will be left unturned in ensuring that the remaining members of this syndicate, notorious for highway robbery and hijacking of goods, are apprehended and prosecuted.”
The suspects are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation and have confessed to their involvement.
The command reassured the public that “all efforts are being intensified to rid the State of armed robbery and other criminal activities,” and warned that Oyo State “will not be a fertile ground for criminals.”
Residents were urged to continue providing useful intelligence, with assurance that all information would be treated confidentially.
