Oyo State Police Command has disclosed the arrest of three suspects in connection with the hijacking of a truck loaded with 45,000 litres of fuel along the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road.

Police spokesperson, Adewale Osifeso, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement.

Osifeso said the recovered product belongs to NIPCO Petroleum Nigeria Limited.

He stated that the suspects were rounded up following the receipt of actionable intelligence on the perpetration of the illegal act.

The police official said the two suspects apprehended were Oyekunle Olaoluwa, 35-year-old, and Akanji Ladele (real name undisclosed), 51-year-old.

“Preliminary investigations indicated the involvement of an armed group equipped with sophisticated firearms,” Osifeso said.

“In response to this intelligence, specialised operatives from the command’s monitoring unit were swiftly activated to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“Their efforts led to the discovery of the hijacked truck at the Lincoln Filling Station, Odo-Ona Kekere, Ibadan, where the suspects were in the process of siphoning the PM.

”The police operatives apprehended two suspects, Oyekunle Olaoluwa, 35 years, and Akanji Ladele (real name undisclosed), 51 years, at the scene.”

The police image-maker said during preliminary investigations, the suspects disclosed that the hijacked truck was transferred to them by a third individual known as Femi, who allegedly masterminded the hijacking alongside his accomplices.

He said: “This revelation led to the identification and subsequent arrest of Basiru Azeez, 30, a pivotal figure in the operation who has since confessed to his role in orchestrating the hijacking and provided details on how the truck was diverted after the crime.”

The police charged members of the public to stay vigilant and report suspicious activities to the local police, maintaining that active participation was vital to the command’s collective effort in fighting against crime.