…Story and Pix: Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan…
Oyo State Police Command on Friday in Ibadan displayed corpses of four suspected armed robbers shot dead by the police between Thursday
and Friday in the various parts of the state after the suspects had successfully snatched three vehicles from their owners.
The Commissioner of Police for the state command, Alhaji Mohammed Indabawa told newsmen that the dead suspects specialized in snatching vehicles from their owners.
According to the Commissioner of Police, on January 15, 2014, around 9.30pm, one Engineer Adeniran Adewola of Elewuro area of Akobo reported at the police station that his Honda Accord car with registration number TD 206AAA was robbed alongside his other belongings.
The CP explained that on January16, 2014, one Alhaji Ali Kwara Azare, a hunter joined the command in the search for the lost
vehicle while on the 17th January, the police including the Alhaji, on information, trailed the vehicle towards Ibadan-Oyo road as the
three occupants of the vehicle diverted it to Alaaka road and later opened fire on the search team.
Indabawa revealed that the three suspected armed robbers who were occupants of the vehicle were killed in a gun battle with the police,adding that documents recovered from the recovered vehicle showed that the vehicle belong to Engr. Adeniran Ademola of Elewuro area of Akobo, Ibadan.
Other items recovered from the dead suspects , according to the police boss, include Ak47 rifle, one double barrel locally made pistol, one
single barrel locally made cut-to-size shot gun, 101 rounds of live ammunition , 9 rounds of live cartridges ,8 assorted mobile phones,one palmtop and N17,170.00 cash.
Similarly, Alhaji Indabawa said that another suspected armed robber was gunned down by his men yesterday morning.
His words ”On 17th ,2014 at about 3am, Federal Highway Patrol men stationed along Lagos road at Seko area near Dominion University
sighted a green Toyota Camry with registration Number SD 57 AAA coming down from Lagos. The team tried to stop the vehicle but its occupants
refused to stop and this made police men to pursue them and during the exchange of gun fire ,one of the robbers was killed by police bullet
while others escaped into the bush.”
The Oyo police boss added that the vehicle was recovered while on the spot search led to the recovery of 2 short guns, 12 rounds of live
cartridges, 4 assorted handsets and one cutlass.Other items including‘vehicle particulars’ found inside the vehicle, according to him ,also
established that one Omowunmi Abubakar of Yinusa Balogun Bus Stop ,Okota Palace way,”Lagos as the owner.
Alhaji Indabawa assured of police readiness to combat crime in the state, pleading however that people must come up with useful
information on the activities of criminals and hoodlums in the state.
“If we get such information, the command will not hesitate to follow it up. I will use this occasion to warn criminals and crime minded
individuals to stay off Oyo state for we are battle ready,” the police Commissioner declared.