The Police Command in Oyo State has apprehended two suspected armed robbers and recovered firearm and other items on the Oyo-Iwo Expressway.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, on Wednesday in Ibadan.
Ayanlade said the suspects were nabbed after the operatives received a distress call about their operation in the area.
According to him, the suspects allegedly barricaded the Oyo–Iwo Expressway around Akoda Village in Afijio Local Government Area in the early hours of Sunday, thereby attacking motorists and passengers travelling from a nearby market towards Iwo Town.
The PPRO further said that some victims sustained machete injuries during the attack, while others were subjected to other violent acts and dispossessed of their valuables.
“Upon receipt of the distress information, the Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Olugbenga, immediately directed operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to move to the scene.
“The operatives responded swiftly, secured the area, rescued the victims and combed the scene, leading to the recovery of one single-barrel gun and two clubs believed to have been used by the criminal gang during the operation,” he said.
He said that further intelligence-driven investigation led the VCRU operatives to the suspects’ hideouts and to the subsequent arrest of the two suspects.
According to him, an identification parade was subsequently conducted, during which the victims positively identified the suspects as some of the armed robbers who attacked and robbed them.
“A search conducted at one of their hideouts also led to the recovery of a rechargeable touchlight belonging to one of the victims,” Ayanlade said.
Ayanlade said the CP commended the professionalism, courage, and prompt response of the VCRU operatives, saying it demonstrated the command’s unwavering resolve to combat violent crimes in Oyo State.
(NAN)
