The police say they have arrested two former convicts who formed an armed robbery gang while serving jail terms at a custodial centre in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
Both men, identified as Abiodun Oshoba and Mustapha Sakiru, were arrested by security operatives in connection with a motorcycle robbery, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun, Abimbola Oyeyeni, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday.
The owner of the bike, Aminu Iliyasu, was said to have lodged a complaint at the Sagamu Police Station, saying he was robbed of his motorcycle by the suspects at gunpoint.
He explained that the ex-convicts pretended to be passengers and boarded his motorcycle, requesting that he should take them to a hotel at the G.R.A area of Sagamu, a town in the state.
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On their way to the place, the suspects reportedly brought out a gun and ordered their victim to stop, after which they dispossessed him of the bike and made away with it.
Following the report by Iliyasu, the Divisional Police Officer for Sagamu Division, Okiki Agunbiade, was said to have mobilised his men and in conjunction with members of the vigilante group, they blocked all the exit points in the area and commenced a stop and search operation.
“Their efforts yielded a positive result when the motorcycle was sighted at one of the exit points, ridden by Abiodun Oshoba with the plate number folded, and on sighting the policemen, he abandoned the bike and took to his heels.
“He was chased and apprehended by the policemen, and his arrest led to the arrest of his accomplice, Mustapha Sakiru. A locally made pistol with one live cartridge was said to have been recovered from them,” the statement said.
It added, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the duo met in Igbeba prison where they served different jail terms and decided to form a gang after their terms in the prison.
“While Sakiru Mustapha was jailed in 2016 for hijacking a truck, Abiodun Oshoba was jailed in 2019 for snatching a phone; both of them came out of prison in 2020 and decided to continue their devilish trade.”
In his reaction, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Edward Awolowo, ordered the transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID) for discreet investigation and prosecution.
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