Tells them: Things are hot for your kind here
Fleeing criminals from neighbouring Lagos has been warned by Ogun Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun Awolowo to have a rethink as the state will be too tough for them.
Awolowo said that the police command under his leadership is more poised to deal ruthlessly with anyone disturbing the peace of the state.
The Commissioner of Police, gave this warning on Tuesday at the command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta while parading nine armed robbery suspects including Lagos based 7-man gang operating in military uniforms along the Lagos – Ore – Benin expressway.
Ajogun said that the 7-man armed robbery gang suspects; Ikechukwu Alore, Ifeanyi Emmanuel, Chibueze Kingsley, Obiora Michael, Elias John and Vincent Magnus who all dressed in military camouflage on the 4th of September, 2020 at about 2:30am blocked Ijebu Ife axis of Sagamu-Benin expressway and were dispossessing motorists of their valuables.
The CP said that based on the distress call received on the robbery incident, a team of Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) was detailed to join force with the patrol team of Ijebu-Ife division and confront the dare devil men.
He explained that on sighting the policemen, the hoodlums engaged them in a gun battle which lasted for about 30 minutes, at the end of which one of the hoodlums was shot dead while others escaped with gun-shot injuries.
Ajogun said he thereafter ordered the SARS operatives to go after the fleeing members of the gang and bring them to justice within the shortest possible period in order to put a permanent end to their nefarious activities.
He disclosed further that the police there and then embarked on technical and intelligence based investigation which led to the arrest of one Vincent Magnus and Elias John in Apapa Lagos State on the 11thof September 2020. Their arrest was said to have led the SARS operatives to the 7up area in Ikeja Lagos on the 12th of September 2020 where three other members of the deadly gang namely: Ikechukwu Alore, Ifeanyi Emmanuel and Chibueze Kingsley were apprehended.
Another member of the gang Chigozie Micheal was later arrested in Sagamu Ogun State as investigation progressed.
The CP said the gang leader Obiorah Michael who sustained bullet wounds in his abdomen, hand and right tigh during their encounter with policemen at Ijebu-Ife was later traced to Ajangbadi area of Lagos State where he was being treated of the wounds and was promptly apprehended.
Ajogun said that they have all confessed to be responsible for series of robbery incidents along Sagamu/Benin expressway, especially Babcock junction and Ijebu-Ife area.
Exhibits recovered from them include: 3 complete pairs of military camouflage, one military vest, one military nose mask, one army head-warmer, one military camouflage bag and 3 mock guns fabricated with black cello-tape.
The CP has however warned those who want to be coming from other states, especially Lagos to stay away from the state saying that “I have said it several times, criminals from Lagos should stay away from Ogun state, things are hot here for the criminals, you will never have your way, those who want to try the command’s resolve will always have themselves to blame.”
Also paraded were two armed herdsmen, who abducted and sexually assaulted the 16-year-old daughter of a farm settler at Afowowa Farm Settlement in Ewekoro local government area of the state.
Commenting on the two armed herdsmen, the CP, who gave names of the suspects as a 20-year-old Abubakar Adamu and Muhammadu Aliyu, further explained that three armed herders, while grazing their cattles, attacked the family of the settler, Aminat Okeshola where they dispossessed her if the sum of N140, 000 cash, thereafter, abducted the 16-year-old daughter into a cassava plantation where they assaulted the girl.
Luck, however, ran against the intruding herders when a police team from Ewekoro division responding to a distress call, surrounded the farm settlement and succeeded in arresting two of the criminals.
Items recovered from the armed herdsmen included one Jack knife and two long sticks
Meanwhile, the CP has rewarded the SARS operatives in the state with a sum of N100,000 saying that he was so impressed with the way they got the fleeing armed robbery suspects arrested.
Ajogun described this token monetary gift as ‘carrot’ for the police officers for doing a very good job urging them to however double up their efforts to avoid the ‘stick,’ that is to be reprimanded for slacking in their duties.
Thanking the Gov. Dapo Abiodun for his support and encouragement for the state police command, Ajogun said, “Ogun state is not going to be comfortable for them. We are more determined and resolute than ever before to give hoodlums, miscreants and those who are not ready to tow the line of peace a run for their money.
“The law abiding citizens of the state should be rest assured that their security is guaranteed all the time and they should always trust and have confidence in the ability of the command to attend to their security needs at all times.”
