*Give owners 14 days to claim abandoned property in Abia

Police in Oyo and Bayelsa states have arrested 26 suspects in separate operations targeting armed robbery and cult-related violence, recovering firearms, ammunition and other weapons.

While operatives in Oyo State arrested three suspected armed robbers following a distress call in Ibadan, their counterparts in Bayelsa State apprehended 23 suspects over alleged involvement in renewed cult clashes that reportedly claimed more than five lives.

In Oyo, the spokesperson, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said the suspects were arrested at about 9.15 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, following a report that armed men were attacking residents and dispossessing them of their belongings around Sumal Junction Roundabout, Ibadan.

Ayanlade, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the Divisional Police Officer of Oluyole Division deployed a patrol team to the scene after receiving the distress call, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

They were identified as Sunday Obasola, 29; Kayode Bamikole, 28; and Durodoye Ayobami, 23.

The police said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects had allegedly robbed a tricycle driver and two passengers, while other people sustained injuries during the operation.

Items recovered included a black TVS motorcycle with registration number AKN 808 QF, a locally fabricated cut-to-size pistol and a live cartridge.

The police said the exhibits had been secured, while the suspects remained in custody.

The case has been transferred to the Violence Crime Response Unit, Eleyele, Ibadan, for further investigation.

In Bayelsa, the police said the 23 arrests followed intelligence-led operations conducted between September 23 and October 8 across communities identified as flashpoints for cult-related violence.

The Commissioner of Police, Ajao Saka Adewale, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Yenagoa, saying the operations targeted suspected cultists and individuals linked to attacks and reprisals in Igbogene, Onopa, Ovom, Agudama, Amarata, Swali and Akenfa.

Among those arrested was 24-year-old Tarimie James of Ovom, who was apprehended near St Anglican Church with a locally fabricated pistol.

The commissioner said James confessed in a video recording to belonging to the Icelanders Confraternity.

Another suspect, 24-year-old Ezekiel Joel of Igbogene, was arrested with an automatic pump-action gun and other weapons. Police also recovered a drum allegedly used during cult meetings. Joel reportedly confessed to belonging to the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) confraternity.

A separate operation by the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit led to the arrest of five suspects allegedly linked to attacks and reprisals between rival cult groups.

The police identified them as Zaidamun Paul, Anthony Okorie, God’s Gift Angel, Richman Kudi and Victor Kelsey. A pistol, axes, cutlasses and knives were recovered.

Further operations in Akenfa, Igbogene and Swali led to additional arrests, including suspects the police linked to the Icelanders and Bobos confraternities. Some were awaiting trial, while others were expected to be arraigned.

The command listed eight firearms, nine rounds of live 9mm ammunition, five cutlasses, two battle axes, 20 cartridges, two cans of nitrous oxide, 17 bottles containing a substance suspected to be codeine, a bag of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis and other items among the exhibits recovered.

Adewale commended the Doo Akpo Joint Task Force and other tactical teams, as well as community leaders and transport unions, for supporting the operations and providing intelligence.

He said the command would sustain patrols and community engagement to prevent further violence and improve security across the state.

MEANWHILE, the Abia State Police Command has given owners of abandoned and unclaimed items recovered by its personnel 14 days to claim them, warning that unclaimed property will be disposed of through public auction in accordance with the law.

The command disclosed this in a notice by its spokesperson DSP Maureen Chioma Chinaka, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.

According to the notice, the items are being held at the Area Command in Aba and the Ohafia Police Division.

Items listed at the Aba Area Command include a Mercedes-Benz J5 vehicle with Lagos registration number GGE80XV, a blue Vesper Honda motorcycle without a registration number, four damaged motor batteries, four head pans, a small Tiger generator, a condemned engine block and three standing fans.

At the Ohafia Division, the items comprise scrap iron, zinc, protectors, plastics and spoons.

The command urged anyone who owns the listed property to come forward within 14 days of the notice to establish ownership and reclaim the items.

It warned that failure to do so would leave the police with no option but to dispose of the property through public auction in line with existing laws.