Oyo Police Arrest 47 Suspected Kidnappers, Armed Robbers, And Rapists.
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested 47 individuals suspected of involvement in a range of criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, and hijacking. The arrests were part of the command’s intensified efforts to combat crime within the state.
Speaking on behalf of the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Ayodele Sonubi, the command’s spokesperson, SP Adewale Osifeso, provided details during a press briefing. He revealed that the arrests led to the recovery of several items, including one AK-47 rifle, two locally-made pistols, two vehicles, 170 bags of wheat, 1,130 cartons of adhesives, and cash totalling N2.7 million.
Osifeso explained that the suspects had been apprehended at various locations across the state, where they had been terrorising residents. Among the arrested individuals were members of a kidnapping gang that had targeted a herder’s camp in Sepeteri.
“On August 30, at about 1:20 am, the armed kidnappers stormed the camp, firing gunshots sporadically, robbing the victims of mobile phones, large sums of money, and other valuables. They then abducted several people and took them to an undisclosed location, where they demanded a ransom of N50 million from the victims’ families,” Osifeso recounted.
In response, the police command, in collaboration with local vigilante groups, swiftly launched a manhunt for the suspects. Two members of the kidnapping syndicate were apprehended, and N2.7 million, believed to be their share of the ransom, was recovered during the operation.
Additionally, the police arrested a 34-year-old man accused of raping a girl who suffers from sickle cell disease. According to Osifeso, the suspect, along with another individual still at large, threatened the girl with death if she refused to accompany them to a house, where the attack took place.
The Oyo State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining public safety and urged residents to continue cooperating with law enforcement by providing valuable information. The arrested suspects are expected to face prosecution as investigations continue.
