Their cautionary statements also provided useful information that led to the arrest of two more members of the gang – Augustine Godday, 18; and Semiu Ogunlowo, 20, at Esa-Oke, Osun
By Moses Okorie
The Osun State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of an armed robbery gang and recovered two firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, as well as 13 rounds of live ammunition.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday in Osogbo.
He said the arrests followed a complaint by a resident of Ada, who reported that his Lexus Jeep had been stolen from his residence overnight.
According to Ojelabi, operatives of the command’s Anti-Robbery Team immediately activated a tracking operation after discovering that the stolen vehicle was fitted with a tracking device.
He said the tracking exercise led detectives to a filling station in Ibadan, where two suspects, Johnson Friday, 30, and Augustine Godwin, 28, were arrested while attempting to refuel the stolen vehicle.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were on their way to deliver the stolen vehicle to a receiver at Idiroko in Ogun.
“Their cautionary statements also provided useful information that led to the arrest of two more members of the gang – Augustine Godday, 18; and Semiu Ogunlowo, 20, at Esa-Oke, Osun,” Ojelabi said.
He disclosed that investigators subsequently extended the operation to Ila-Orangun, where they recovered an AK-47 rifle loaded with 13 rounds of live ammunition and a single-barrel firearm allegedly used by the gang.
The weapons, he said, were found concealed inside a sack and hidden behind Godwin’s room.
The police also arrested a fifth suspect, identified as Olamide Afeez, 29, who was allegedly acting as an informant for the robbery gang.
Ojelabi said preliminary findings indicated that Afeez was a close friend of the robbery victim and allegedly supplied the gang with information that facilitated the operation.
The command said its investigation was still ongoing, particularly efforts to locate and arrest the alleged receiver in Idiroko, Ogun State, whom the suspects reportedly identified during interrogation.
The police spokesperson assured residents that the command remained committed to tackling armed robbery and other criminal activities across Osun.
He urged members of the public to remain alert and promptly provide security agencies with credible information on suspicious persons and activities to enhance crime prevention and public safety.