By Bayo Famoroti, Ado-Ekiti
The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested several suspected criminals and recovered stolen property following intensified security operations across the state.
The Commissioner of Police disclosed this while briefing journalists at the Command Headquarters in Ado-Ekiti, saying the arrests were made through intelligence-led policing and coordinated raids on criminal hideouts.
According to him, five suspects were arrested for armed robbery, seventeen for cattle rustling, five for operating an illegal baby factory and child exploitation, one for stealing, while five others were apprehended during raid operations.
Items recovered include 558 rustled cattle, seven stolen vehicles, ten fabricated master keys, three fake vehicle number plates, and large quantities of provisions and new clothes believed to have been stolen from shops across the state.
The Commissioner said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad arrested Uzobo Friday Agomatiro, a member of a four-man armed robbery gang linked to several car-snatching incidents in Ado-Ekiti. Further investigations led to the arrest of two other suspects, Lawal Kudirat and Agomatiro Dennis.
Recovered from the suspects were two stolen Toyota Corolla vehicles, ten fabricated master keys and five solar panels. The suspects allegedly confessed to carrying out multiple vehicle thefts using specially made master keys, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.
In another operation on January 21, police operatives arrested Ibrahim Abubakar, a suspected cattle rustler and kidnapping kingpin who had been on the wanted list of Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi states. He allegedly confessed to stealing cattle across the three states, leading to the recovery of 255 cattle.
Sixteen other suspects were also arrested in a forest at Isan-Ekiti with 303 cattle believed to have been rustled. Preliminary investigations linked them to the same syndicate.
On January 19, operatives of the Safer Highway Patrol intercepted a Honda Element jeep driven by Ogekore Tiresimi Tosin, who was suspected to be a serial burglar. The suspect reportedly confessed to burglary cases across Erijiyan, Ilawe, Aramoko, Ilumoba, Ikole and Oye-Ekiti.
He later led investigators to hideouts in Kogi and Kwara states, where stolen vehicles, food items, soft drinks and new clothes were recovered. The recovered items have since been identified by their owners.
The police also uncovered an illegal baby factory in Ikere-Ekiti allegedly operated by Oluwadare Onyechi and four others. Six children aged between two and nine years were rescued from the premises, while baby delivery materials and drugs were recovered.
In a separate operation, four suspects were arrested over the theft of twelve MTN SIM registration devices valued at over ₦13 million from an office in Ado-Ekiti. Ten of the devices were recovered, while investigations are ongoing to recover the remaining items.
The Commissioner of Police commended Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji for his support to the Command and assured residents that all suspects would be charged to court after investigations.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the nearest police station or through the police emergency line.
