The Osun State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate and recovered an AK-47 rifle, 13 rounds of live ammunition and a single-barrel firearm linked to the group.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police (Election), Osun State Command.
According to the statement, the operation followed a report lodged on August 17 by a resident of Ada, Osun State, whose newly acquired Lexus Jeep was allegedly stolen overnight by armed men.
Ojelabi said the Command’s Anti-Robbery Team immediately activated a tracking device installed in the vehicle and traced it to a filling station in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Two suspects, identified as 30-year-old Johnson Friday and 28-year-old Augustine Godwin, were subsequently arrested while allegedly refuelling the stolen vehicle.
Preliminary investigation, the statement said, indicated that the suspects were taking the vehicle to a receiver in Idiroko. Information obtained from their statements further led police operatives to Esa-Oke in Osun State, where two other suspected gang members, 18-year-old Augustine Godday and 20-year-old Semiu Ogunlowo, were arrested.
The investigation was subsequently extended to Ila-Orangun, where operatives recovered an AK-47 rifle loaded with 13 rounds of live ammunition and a single-barrel firearm allegedly used during the robbery.
The firearms were reportedly hidden inside a sack and concealed behind Godwin’s room.
Police also arrested 29-year-old Olamide Afeez, who was allegedly acting as an informant for the robbery gang. According to the Command, Afeez is also a close friend of the robbery victim.
The Commissioner of Police commended the Anti-Robbery Team for its prompt response and professionalism, while reaffirming the Command’s determination to protect lives and property across Osun State.
The police said investigation is ongoing, particularly efforts to apprehend the suspected receiver in Idiroko identified by the arrested suspects.
The Command assured residents that anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law and urged members of the public to remain vigilant and provide timely information that could assist in preventing and combating crime.
