By Suleiman Shehu
Ibadan – The Oyo State Police Command has arrested 16 suspects alleged to have been involved in armed robbery and kidnapping.
The state Police Commissioner, Mr Abiodun Odude, on Friday in Ibadan, said the suspects were responsible for the spate of robberies in Akobo and other parts of the state.
He said that their arrest followed their latest attack on Wisdom Estate, Akobo, Ibadan, at about 2am on June 3.
Odude said that the suspected bandits attacked residents of the Estate and robbed victims of their valuable properties and cash.
“During a raid carried out by the Idi-Aro Police Division, one of the suspects was arrested and some of the jewellery and mobile phones earlier snatched from victims during the robbery operation were recovered from him.
“His arrest and subsequent confession led to the arrest of other members of the gang by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad of the command.
“ More stolen items were recovered from the suspects who confessed to have carried out several armed robbery operations in Egbeda , Olodo and other places in the state,” he said.
The CP said that the suspects used machetes to maim and kill innocent victims.
Odude said that three of the victims who sustained severe machete cuts on the head, stomach and hands were lying in critical condition at the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some victims who were present to identify the robbers at the parade ground narrated how the suspects terrorised the entire estate.
According to them, the bandits forcefullly gained entry into their homes breaking walls, windows and burglar proof.
One of the victims explained how the robbers killed two of his security dogs and inflicted machete cuts on his grandmother during the operation.
Items recovered from the suspects include three long cutlasses, five finger rings, 10 different mobile phones, 12 assorted wristwatches, two gold pendants, a pair of gold earrings and 13 different criminal charms.
