The Oyo State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a vehicle-snatching syndicate and recovered firearms and ammunition in a targeted operation in Ibadan.

 

The suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence indicating that a gang notorious for stealing exotic vehicles within Ibadan metropolis was planning fresh attacks.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said the intelligence report revealed that members of the syndicate were converging around the Olorunsogo area of Ibadan, where they were allegedly preparing to launch coordinated armed robbery operations.

 

Acting on the information, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, directed operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to move in and dismantle the gang.

 

The swift response led to the arrest of three suspects identified as Akinpelu Afeez (39), popularly known as “Starboy”; Taiwo Adams (45), also known as “Adamson”; and Salawudeen Taofeeq (35), nicknamed “T.K.”

 

Police said the suspects confessed during interrogation to participating in several vehicle-snatching operations across Ibadan metropolis, using locally fabricated firearms to execute their crimes.

 

Following the confessions, detectives executed a search warrant at the suspects’ hideout in the Aremo area of Ibadan, where two locally made cut-to-size single-barrel guns and six live cartridges were recovered.

 

The Command disclosed that investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate, dismantle its network, and identify receivers of stolen vehicles and other proceeds of crime.

 

Olugbenga lauded the operatives for their professionalism and swift action, reaffirming the Command’s commitment to making Oyo State unsafe for criminal elements.

 

He also urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to support security agencies with timely and credible information, noting that community cooperation remains vital to sustained crime prevention efforts.