Ondo police parade fake herbalist

Arrest 37 suspects, impound 214 motorcycles • Acquire 15 highway patrol vehicles 

OPERATIVES of Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Ondo State Command, have nabbed 37 suspects, who allegedly committed series of crimes just as it launched 15 safer highway patrol vehicles that were recently received from the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to further combat crime in the state at the weekend.

Among the suspects that were paraded, five were nabbed for armed robbery, 25 for cultism, one for burglary and stealing, four for kidnapping, one for car theft and one for fraud.

Items recovered from the suspects included master keys, two unregistered motorcycle, sharp objects, a Toyota Camry car and N500, 000 cash, among others.

One of the suspects, Lanre Ologunagba, 32, a herbalist, was arrested alongside his accomplice, Kayode Ajayi, 64, in Akure for swindling two of his clients: Immaculate Okechukwu and Mercy Ndenaemi of N644,000 each, while offering to assist them.

Speaking with The Guardian, Ologunagba said the two victims came for his traditional service, “seeking quick profits in their business ventures.”

He admitted committing the crime, and confessed taking over N400, 000 from them but also accused them of conspiracy to victimize him after their terms of service didn’t work out as expected.

The police recovered the sum of N55,000, two small clay pots, one mat, pieces of a broken clay pot and two pieces of white cloth from Ologunagba’s shrine.

The fake herbalist later mentioned three other accomplices to the crime. While addressing journalists in Akure last week, the state Commissioner for Police, Mr. Isaac Eke, noted that “the Safer Highway Patrol teams were established by the Inspector General of Police for unique roles.”

He further explained that “the protection of lives and property of travellers on the highways nationwide as well as communities under threats along the highways,” and “to prevent and discourage crime on the highways through high visibility vehicular patrols,” are the major mandates of the team.

He noted that it was instituted to fill the vacuum created by the ban on police road blocks and dismantling of military checkpoints, conduct stop and search based on information or intelligence report received and to respond to distress calls.

Eke said that the team will collaborate with sister agencies and other government institutions where multi agencies actions are required on the highways, and also render assistance to victims of crimes or accidents on the highways.

Allaying the fears of highway travellers and the public, Eke mentioned that intelligence and monitoring teams have been deployed from the Force Headquarters to checkmate the patrol teams and ensure that the notorious era of N20 bribe would not rear its ugly head again.

The 15 Safer Highways Patrol vehicles were mobilized with personnel and deployed to their various duty posts as Ondo Area Command got seven, Owo Area Command got four and Akure Area Command also got four vehicles.

On the recent suspension of commercial motorcyclists, the Commissioner clarified the terms of the pronunciation by Governor Olusegun Mimiko forbidding its operation, revealing that the Command had impounded 214 motorcycles since it was prohibited from the Akure metropolis. Eke assured the public that investigations were still in top gear, while promising to prosecute the suspects as soon as the Command rounds up its investigations.