The Ogun State Police Command, on Sunday, nabbed four members of a notorious armed robbery syndicate in their hideout.
The suspects, Sunkanmi Tajudeen, Habeeb Oladimeji, Sunday Akintunde and Ishola Samson, were said to have been terrorising residents of the Mowe and Ofada areas of the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Oyeyemi said the suspects had been on the wanted list of the command before their arrest.
The PPRO stated, “The suspects were arrested following an intelligence report received by the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad about the hideout of the gang in the Adesan area of Mowe.
“On getting the report, the officer in-charge of the SARS, CSP Tijani Muhammed, dispatched his operatives in the area and the hideout was professionally cordoned off for an operation that lasted about an hour.
“At the end of the operation, four suspects were apprehended, while some members of the gang escaped through a nearby bush.”
Oyeyemi added that some weapons were recovered from the suspects after the operation.
He said the recovered items included a locally-made triple-barrelled pistol, one locally-made single-barrelled pistol, 13 live cartridges and a Bajaj motorcycle.
The PPRO said the state Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, praised the gallantry displayed by his men.
Oyeyemi said the CP ordered a serious manhunt for the fleeing members of the gang and a total clampdown on bandits across the state in order to give the good people of the state the needed rest of mind.
Meanwhile, a granite-laden truck, on Monday, crushed two persons to death and injured one other.
The crash occurred on the Oju-Ore/Idi-Iroko Road around the Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel area, in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
The Public Relations Officer, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, Babatunde Akinbiyi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Akinbiyi said the accident involved three persons, a truck with number plate XA 977 JBD and a motorcycle with no number plate.
The TRACE spokesman said eyewitness account had it that the motorcyclist, who was inbound Ojuore from Iyana-Iyesi caused the crash.
Akinbiyi added that the motorcyclist, who was conveying two passengers, rode against the traffic to avoid gridlock in the area.
He said in the process of manoeuvring in between vehicles, the truck ran over the motorcyclist and his passengers.
Akinbiyi stated, “The motorcyclist rode against the traffic and while trying to manoeuvre, the truck rammed into them.
“The motorcyclist and one of the pillion passengers he was conveying died on the spot, because the rider had two pillion passengers on the motorcycle. The other passenger was rescued and rushed to hospital.
“The bodies of the victims have been deposited in the morgue of the Ifo General Hospital, while the driver of the truck, the vehicle and motorcycle have been taken to the Onipanu Divisional Police Station, Ota.”