Ogun Police arrest OPC leader, 22 others for robbery, kidnapping

The Ogun State Police Command yesterday paraded 23 suspected criminals for various crimes, ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping to illegal possession of arms.

One of the suspects, a coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in Ita Oluwo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, Segun Ilaojo, was arrested for robbery and possession of a sophisticated micro-Barreta pistol.

One pump action riffle and nine live cartridges were allegedly recovered from the suspect when operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) stormed his hideout in Ita-Oluwo community last Monday.

Also paraded were two Fulanis, Muhammed Ojonla and Adamu Saliu, said to be members of a kidnapping ring operating in Imeko area of the state.

Parading the suspects before journalists at the Police Headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, said the suspects and other offenders were arrested at different locations of the state between August and October this year, attributing their arrest to strategies devised by the Command to “rid the state of criminals, make it safer and more secured.”

Iliyasu said the Police were able to arrest Ilaojo, following a tip-off on a robbery syndicate frequently attacking residents and visitors of Ogijo area of Sagamu.

But Ilaojo claimed that the pump action gun was given to him by the community for vigilante service, while he retrieved the Barreta pistol from a “thief” allegedly shot dead by the Police over 10 years ago during a joint operation with the vigilante group.
He regretted not handing the pistol, which is barely the size of a finger, over to the Police when it dropped from the “thief” during the operation.