Police arrest 4 suspects with 10, 000 live cartridges in Oyo

The Oyo state Police Command on Thursday said that it had arrested four suspects, who specialised in supplying arms and ammunition to different armed robbery syndicates terrorising the people of the state.

Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, disclosed this while presenting the suspects to newsmen at the Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan. Olukolu said the suspects were arrested in their hideout with 10, 000 live cartridges on July 23 at 2.00 am at Oke-Bola area of Ibadan.

He noted that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the command received information about the activities of the syndicates and swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

According to him, the suspects concealed the cartridges in an unregistered Toyota Sienna bus and a Toyota Camry car with registration number Lagos GGE 979 FT.

One of the suspects told newsmen that he had no licence to sell the cartridges, adding that he was only being patronised by hunters.

Also, the police presented two female armourers to a gang of armed robbers, having been caught with a locally-made double-barrel pistol.

Olukolu said that police investigations indicated that the two females were members of a notorious armed robbery gang, whose duty was to conceal and convey arms and ammunition to any location of their male syndicate’s members.

According to him, the suspects were arrested in their hideout in Iseyin on July 20 at 7.00 pm, adding that “the suspects, upon interrogation confessed that they were given the pistol by their syndicate kingpin and his cohorts to conceal from Lagos state to evade police arrest on their way to Iseyin, where an operation will be carried out.

“Efforts to arrest the kingpin and his cohorts, who are at large, are being intensified,” Olukolu said.

The police chief called on members of the public to be cautious of their environment, especially during the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebration as all sorts of crimes would be perpetrated during the period.

Olukolu noted that the police have put security measures in place to ensure that the public enjoy their festive period.