Oyo Police Arrest 207 Suspects, Recover Guns, Others

On Friday, the Oyo State Police Command revealed that about 207 individuals were arrested in 2023 for various crimes in the state.

Naija News reports that suspects in cases of kidnapping, land grabbing, and armed robbery were also paraded.

The state Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, detailed that 50 stolen vehicles and 46 motorcycles/tricycles were recovered since January till date, while 108 firearms and 721 rounds of various caliber of ammunition were retrieved from the suspects.

The police chief made this revelation when parading another 38 crime suspects reportedly involved in various degrees of criminal activities at various locations a few days before the new year at the command headquarters in Ibadan, the state capital.

Six cars, English pump action and revolver rifles, locally produced guns, six mobile phones, one power generator, two motorcycles, nine firearms, 60 rounds of ammunition, native charms, and three cutlasses were also recovered.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, paraded the suspects on behalf of CP Hamzat, stating that they were apprehended from their places of hiding.

He said, “As we gradually bid 2023 farewell, the CP has ordered that all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Heads of Department/formations, and Tactical Commanders deploy adequate personnel and resources throughout the length and breadth of the state, particularly at all critical infrastructures, recreational facilities, media houses, banks, Correctional centers, public spaces, places of worship and all adjoining highways and routes within and outside the state.

“Similarly, the CP has directed that they should increase layers of supervision around their subordinates, particularly men on the field who daily interface with commuters and other civilian populations while the Command’s Monitoring and X-squad units have been tasked to deal decisively with any officer whose actions or inactions bring about embarrassment to the Command and by extension the Police Force through extortion, incivilities, and other professional misconducts.

“In furtherance of the above, the state Police command is pleased to inform residents that within the past five months, it has recorded significant successes in reducing crime rates across the state. This was attained through a combination of intelligence-led operations, community engagements, and proactive policing.

“Within January 1st to this day, 207 armed robbery suspects were arrested, 50 stolen vehicles and 46 motorcycles/tricycles were recovered while 108 firearms and 721 rounds of various caliber of ammunition were retrieved from the possession of criminals.”