By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Police Command has recovered 11 stolen tricycles, worth N13.2 million from the two criminal receivers in the state.
This was contained in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Adewale Osifeso on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Williams.
The PPRO stressed that already, four suspects namely Taiwo Abdulrasak (28), Soliu Rasheed (21), Lukman Rasaq (25) and Kazeem Sakariyau (30) are now in Police net in connection with the stolen of the tricycle.
According to SP Osifeso, a notorious armed robbery syndicate who has been on the Command’s watch list and specialized in snatching tricycles from owners at gun was arrested by a team of Police Operatives attached to the Oyo State Police Command’s Monitoring Unit, Ogbomoso
” On 26th September, 2022 at about 0330hrs, a team of Police Operatives attached to the Oyo State Police Command’s Monitoring Unit, Ogbomoso operational base embarked on an intelligence based anti-crime patrol along Ogbomoso/Oyo road and in the process, they intercepted a member of a notorious armed robbery syndicate who has been on the Command’s watch list and specialized in snatching tricycles from owners at gun point”, he said.
SP Osifeso added, ” when the suspect later identified himself as Taiwo Abdulrasak was queried about the ownership of one tricycle in his possession, he was unable to give any satisfactory explanation.”
” Hence, the suspect was arrested and upon further interrogation at the Monitoring Unit office, he voluntarily confessed that the tricycle was snatched from its rightful owner at gun point on the same date by himself and his syndicate members”.
The PPRO stressed, ” he also confessed that he was riding the tricycle to Ogbomoso town at the time of his apprehension with the intent of handing same over to the syndicate’s criminal receiver, and that the suspect explained further that he had led his syndicate members to snatch several tricycles from their owners at different locations across Oyo and other neighboring states.’
The PPRO noted that his confessional statement and further discreet investigation later led to the arrest of three of his syndicate members who identified themselves as Soliu Rasheed, Lukman Rasaq and Kazeem Sakariyau .
He declared that investigation is ongoing and further developments will be communicated later.
