Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Oyo State police command on Thursday paraded 16 suspects arrested for various offences ranging from armed robbery, stealing, cultism, and hooliganism.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Shina Olukolu, who paraded the suspects before journalists at Eleyele, Ibadan, said a total of ten guns were recovered from the suspects. The guns comprised four locally-made pistols, and six locally-made single barrel.
Items recovered from the suspects also included six live cartridges, three mobile phones, a cutlass, two cars, one wedding ring, four wristwatches, seven necklaces, Jackknife, and two motorcycles.
One of the paraded suspects, Araoye Adebiyi, 25, introduced himself as a 400-level student of Accounting, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso. Two locally- made pistols, four live cartridges, one Jackknife and one cutlass were said to have been recovered from him.
During interrogation, Adebiyi, who said the exhibits recovered from him were given to him for safe-keep by somebody, confessed to being a member of a secret cult known as Eiye Confraternity. The police alleged that his group had been unleashing mayhem on members of the public and students alike in Ogbomoso.
The police boss in the state also paraded two suspects, Taiwo Salami, 39, and Kamarudeen Amusat, 63, over an allegation that they hypnotised one Mary Ajayi, who was sent to deposit a cash sum of N1.4million in a commercial bank in Dugbe, Ibadan by her boss, Mr. Chima Nwali. The suspects, it was gathered, also allegedly raped the victim for the three days she spent in their detention.
“On her way along the road to Dugbe, she was allegedly hypnotised by one Taiwo Salami and she lost her senses, and thereafter taken to Inalende Area of Ibadan, where the cash sum of N1.4million was collected from her. The suspects inflicted several injuries all over her body and locked her up in a room in the area.
“On May 8, 2019, information about the whereabouts of the victim was reported to the Divisional Police Headquarters, Mokola. She was later rescued and taken to the hospital for medical attention. Hence the case was transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan.
“On June 7, 2019, based on a tip-off, the kingpin, Taiwo Salami, and his cohort, Kamarudeen Amusat, were arrested around Eleyele area, Ibadan. Upon interrogation, they confessed to the crime and a Toyota Camry car and some quantity of rubber slippers, which they bought with the money were recovered.”
Also, luck ran out for a commercial motorcyclist, Saliu Salawu, who allegedly specialised in taking his passengers that are visitors in Ibadan to remote areas and robbing them. According to the police, Salawu pulled the stunt on June 7 this year, against one Omotola Olasupo, who visited her boyfriend in Ibadan from Ikorodu.
When she alighted at Iwo Road in Ibadan, she boarded Salawu’s motorcycle and told him she was going to Mokola. He thereafter diverted and took her to Sasa-Ajibode Road near Ojoo. Her boyfriend called her on phone to know her whereabouts, and she gave the phone to the motorcyclist to answer the call.
The CP, Olukolu stated that “the okada rider then told her boyfriend that they were at Challenge area. On receipt of the phone, her boyfriend told her to raise the alarm for assistance, which she did. In the process, the passers-by assisted her and the okada rider was overpowered, arrested and handed over to the police.
The suspect confessed to the crime, saying he was purportedly involved in a series of such attacks. Seven necklaces, four wristwatches, a wedding ring, and Bajaj motorcycle with Registration Number AKN 445 UU, used for the commission of the crime were recovered from him,” Olukolu said.