On Friday, the Oyo State Police Command paraded forty-one individuals who were allegedly accused of being criminals and terrorising the state.
The suspects were paraded for their alleged involvement in criminal activities ranging from cattle rustling cum kidnapping, armed robbery, car snatching, gun-running, and murder, among others.
CP Sonubi Ayodele, the State Commissioner of Police, declared war on all forms of crime in the state, addressing reporters at the Command Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, that Oyo state has no place for criminals and their illegal activities.
While speaking on a murdered case, CP Sonubi said, “On 24th February 2024, one Abdul ”m” (Now deceased) was sent by his master, one Rasheed ‘m’ a businessman to Sinawu Village Baruten Local Government area of Kwara State to purchase large quantities of Soya Beans and Cashew Nuts and bring them back to Saki town.
“When the deceased arrived, one Musa Kale “m”, an agro-allied produce merchant in the village who was to sell to Abdul offered him accommodation at his house for the period he was going to stay in the village. The deceased victim then went ahead to purchase (55) Fifty-Five Bags of Soya Beans and (30) Thirty Tones of Cashew nuts through the suspect, Musa Kala before proceeding to inform his master that all the goods would be moved to Saki as soon as another batch of SOYA beans worth Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N2, 500, 000. 00 only) which he had already paid for is supplied to him.
However, in a rather disturbing development, he was only given produce worth the sum of One Million Naira (N1, 000, 000. 00 only). When the deceased demanded the outstanding goods or the sum of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1, 500, 000. 00 only) in lieu thereof, the suspect Musa Kala and his syndicate member simply identified as “Jamiu” (now at large) led him to Bukado village in Oyo State under the pretence of going to collect the money from one of his business partner and remit same to him but on getting to a desolate spot in the area, Mahmood Musa Kala and his cohort Jamiu conspired together to strangulate and machete him to death.
Meanwhile, when his master was unable to reach him again on the phone, he contacted Musa Kala to ask about the deceased who of course denied knowing anything about the deceased’s whereabouts. Hence a complaint of ‘’Missing Persons” was filed by his master to the Command via a petition and the Command Monitoring Unit was detailed to investigate.
“The investigating team immediately embarked on a discreet Investigation and in the process, the principal suspect, Mahmood Kala Musa was arrested in connection with the crime and upon interrogation, he made a confessional statement about the crime. The suspect explained in detail how he conspired with one Jamiu, murdered the innocent young man and dumped his body in the bush. The suspect later led the investigating team to the scene of crime where the decomposing body of the slain young boy was recovered.
“A search warrant was also executed in the house of the suspect and the process of the cutlass and a Jack Knife which he used to machete the victim after strangulating him, a bag containing the victim’s cloth and nine (9) bags of SOYA beans which the victim kept in his house. The victim’s Bajaj Motorcycle was equally recovered. An investigation is still in progress.” Sonubi said.
While speaking with journalists, the suspect, Mamood Musa Kala aged 32 confessed to the crime and pleaded for mercy. Exhibits recovered from the suspect include one long sharp cutlass, one jack knife, nine bags of Soya beans, a bag containing the victim’s clothes and one Baja motorcycle.
Similarly, another gang of armed robbery syndicate specialized in gun–running car snatching, and armed robbery among other criminal activities were paraded alongside others.
Speaking on the case, CP Sonubi said, “On 9th July 2024 at about 0800hrs, a team of policemen attached to Agodi Division while on an intelligent based Stop & search operation at within Ibadan metropolis intercepted a Toyota Corolla Car and when the car was searched, a sealed bag was recovered and when the two occupants of the car who later gave their names as Abdulazeez Ayatulahi aged 29 and Abdazeez Ridwan aged 27, were directed to open the bag, it was discovered that a large cache of new AK-47 Riffle ammunition were concealed therein.
“Upon interrogations, the duo were unable to give satisfactory explanations about the prohibited ammunitions found in their possession, hence they were arrested and immediately transferred on the instruction of the Commissioner of Police to the Command Monitoring Unit for further investigation.
“Upon interrogations as the Monitoring Unit, the two suspects later confessed to be members of a gun-running Criminal Cartel that imports various types of sophisticated firearms into Nigeria from Burkina Faso through the border and supplies them to different criminal syndicates to perpetrate their nefarious criminal activities. Further investigation later led to the arrest of the syndicate’s kingpin, one Olugbenga Asake Olusegun aged 50 in his hideout within the Ibadan metropolis where he was waiting to receive the illegally imported ammunition. A huge sum of Sixteen Million Naira which he later confessed was to be paid to the suspects earlier arrested upon receiving the ammunitions was recovered from him.” Investigation continues as further developments will be communicated. Sonubi said.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects included 1, 346 pieces of live AK-47 rifle ammunition, one Toyota Corolla Car, and the sum of sixteen million naira cash.
Exhibits recovered from all the suspects include two AK-47 rifles, one K2 rifle, one locally made cut – to size gun, One Barretta Pistol, One LAR rifle with Breech number 6909358, Seventeen 7.62 live ammunition, One thousand, three hundred and forty-six thousand, Two live cartridges, one White Toyota Highlander Jeep, one Ash Toyota Highlander Jeep, The cash sum of (N16,000,000) sixteen million naira among others.
