Ogun Police arrest six, recover rifle, pistol, stolen generators

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested six suspected criminals and recovered a pump-action rifle, a locally fabricated pistol, ammunition, five generators and nine suspected stolen mobile phones in separate intelligence-led operations across Abeokuta, Wasimi and Ibafo.

The Command said the arrests followed coordinated operations by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit and the Ibafo Division aimed at dismantling criminal networks involved in theft, illegal possession of firearms and receiving stolen property.

Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed in a statement on Wednesday that the suspects arrested were Afisu Awesu, Bala Aminu, Moruf Sodiq, popularly known as “Okiki”, Mumuni Amodu, alias “Stone”, Abayomi John, alias “Ibafo”, and Adeboye Ojesina.

According to the statement, operatives of the VCRU, acting on credible intelligence, arrested Moruf Sodiq over his alleged involvement in a generator theft syndicate operating in Abeokuta and its environs.

“The suspect promptly led operatives to Mumuni Amodu, identified as the receiver of stolen property,” the statement said.

A search reportedly led to the recovery of four Elepaq generators, one Sumec Fireman generator and nine Android phones suspected to have been recently stolen.

The police further arrested Abayomi John, a motorcyclist alleged to have provided transportation support for members of the syndicate during their operations.

In another operation, SWAT operatives arrested 58-year-old Adeboye Ojesina in Wasimi over alleged unlawful possession of firearms.

Recovered from him were a locally fabricated pistol, a pump-action rifle, two live cartridges and one expended cartridge.

The suspect was said to have claimed that he found the pistol and fired a round to test it, while alleging that the pump-action rifle was handed over to him by an unidentified individual currently being traced by the police.

Similarly, detectives attached to the Ibafo Division arrested Afisu Awesu while he was allegedly attempting to steal a forklift engine component from a site at Igbeti Sote Village via Ibafo.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Bala Aminu of Kara, Ibafo, who was alleged to have received stolen forklift tyres previously taken from the same location.

The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended the officers involved in the operations and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to intelligence-driven policing.

“The Command remains committed to sustained pressure on criminal elements to ensure they have no space to operate within Ogun State,” the statement quoted the Commissioner as saying.

Police said investigations are ongoing and that the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigations.