The police in Oyo State say they have apprehended four suspected armed robbers and recovered 11 tricycles worth N13.2 million.

Adewale Osifeso, spokesman for the police, made this known at a news conference on Thursday in Ibadan.

Eight other suspects were also paraded by the police for offences ranging from hijacking and diversion of 69 cartons of cigarettes and armed dealing.

Mr Osifeso said that one of the suspected armed robbery syndicates who specialised in snatching tricycles from members of the public, was arrested on Ogbomoso-Oyo Road as a result of intelligence based anti-crime patrol of the command.

He said the suspect, who had been on the wanted list of the command, was intercepted by the command’s monitoring unit on September 26 at about 3:30 p.m. on Ogbomoso-Oyo Road.

“The suspect was queried about the ownership of one tricycle in his possession and 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 gunpoint on the same date by himself and his syndicate members.

“He also confessed that he was riding the tricycle to Ogbomoso Town at the time of his apprehension with the intent of handing the same over to the syndicate’s criminal receiver,” Mr Osifeso said.

He said that the suspect had confessed to have led his syndicate members to snatch several tricycles from their owners at different locations across Oyo and other neighboring states.

The police spokesman said that confession of the suspect led to further discreet investigation which led to the arrest of three of his syndicate members and recovery of 10 other stolen tricycles valued at N13.2 million.

The police also paraded five suspects over alleged hijacking and diversion of 1,100 cartons of cigarettes belonging to a tobacco company, while three other suspects were arrested for allegedly dealing in ammunition and possession of 350 live cartridges.

Mr Osifeso said the state Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, pledged that the command would continue to ensure that stringent and more pre-emptive actions are deployed in the deliberate quest to tackle and bring to the barest minimum all forms of crimes in the state. 

(NAN)