By Dada Ahmed.
The crack team of detectives, comprising the Anti-cultists, Anti-Kidnapping, Anti-robbery and personnel of Malete Division with the mandate, set up by the new Commissioner of Police in Kwara state,CP Paul Odama has broken suspected rapists and armed robbers’ foothold and brought culprits to justice.
The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO for the Police Command in the state,SP Okasanmi Ajayi, disclosed this in a statement available to The Reporters on Sunday.
He said the success story recorded by the command was sequel to the reports of armed robbery/rape cases received by Malete Divisional Police headquarters from attacked students and residents of Malete, the university town in the state.
Ajayi,who recalled that Odama had earlier stressed that lawlessness of whatever nomenclature would not be allowed in the state,said the crack team swung into action in carrying out CP’s directive by approaching the suspected hide out of the gang.
According to him, the team received report of another armed robbery attack from the trio of Adebayo Omolade Adeyeye Adebola and Babatunde Hellen, all 400L students of Kwara State University, Malete.
He disclosed that the victims, at about 0330hrs of 07/10/2022, were robbed at their hostel called ‘Downtown’ hostel by armed hoodlums and their property forcefully carted away.
“The team was sighted by the hoodlums and the armed robbers took to their heels, one Ridwan Abdulfatai ‘M’ aged 20years, from Oke Fomo Ilorin was arrested by the detectives.
“Consequently, the suspect under intense interrogation, confessed that he is the leader of a robbery gang terrorizing the Malete community and its environs, adding that he is also a jail bird.
“He led the investigators to effect the arrest of two other members of the gang, namely, Ibrahim Ridwan Akorede, 25 years of Oke Fomo area of Ilorin, and Aliyu Abubakar Apalado 25 years, they all confessed to the crimes.
“The investigation also led to the recovery of the following items snatched on gun points during some of their operations.
“One Locally made gun, One Jack knife and charms:Eleven(11) Generators.Two (2) Motorcycles.One(1) small size fridge
One(1) standing fan One(1) pumping machine Nineteen(19) iPhone 6 hand sets.
Three(3) iPhone11 handsets,Sixteen(16) iPhone 6 plus,Five(5) iPhone XR and other brands telephone handsets altogether totalling Eighty-seven (87) handsets.Ten(10) Laptops and Two(2) Television sets.
The PPRO,who said that “effort is still geared towards arresting the remaining members of the gang”,qoted the Commissioner of Police as promising that the suspect would be charged to court after conclusion of investigation.
According to the CP, no stone will “be left unturned in ensuring that Kwara State, a State of harmony remains truly, a State of harmony.”
While advising members of the public, the CP reiterated the need for members of the public to always give useful information to the police, adding that the police Could not work in isolation.
The police boss expressed resolve to operate an open door policy in line with the spirit and letter of community policing.
