A self-acclaimed soldier, Sodiq Abiodun, fake police corporal, Oluwaseun Ogunjebe, two cattle rustlers, Muhammadu Usman and Alhaji Majo were among the 45 criminal suspects paraded Thursday by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu for committing various crimes in different parts of the state.

The parade held at the Eleyele State Command of the Police with ranking officers of the Command in attendance.

While the fake soldier, Abiodun, was arrested for impersonation and rape of a 17year old, the fake police Corporal who claimed to be servicing at the Force Headquarters Annex Lagos was arrested for failing to stop for police personnel routine stop and search patrol along Ibadan/Ife Road Toll Gate, Ibadan.

According to CP Olukolu while parading the suspects, the crimes committed by the suspects ranges from cultism, armed robbery, murder, rape, kidnapping, impersonation, receipt of stolen goods, and threat to life among others.

Addressing journalists, the CP recalled his assurances at the beginning of 2020 to residents of the state of the determined preparedness of the police to continue to carry out their constitutional responsibilities as enshrined in Section Four of the Police Acts and Regulations, including protection of life and property, preservation of law and order as well as carrying out due enforcement of all laws and regulations.

He said, “I wish to state that we have re-doubled our efforts and reviewed the security architecture as shown in the renewed activity of the Police Tactical teams – Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS), STS, Federal Highway Patrol, SAFER Highway, Skynet Squad, Puff Adder team, and so on.”

The list of the suspects also included a middle age woman, identified as Abimbola Oyebamiji, 46, who was rescued by the police from suspected kidnappers, after she was abducted at Isaguna village, Labode Road, Off Old Oyo Expressway while working on her poultry farm, though she lives at Alaafia community, Zone Five, Olorunda-Aba in Lagelu Local Government area of the state.

Olukolu said the suspected kidnappers dispossessed the woman of some amount of money, handsets and other valuables, while they demanded for a ransom of N60million.

According to the police boss in the state, the fake military officer, Abiodun, 29, in company of a syndicate member, Lekan Adesokan, 31, had a carnal knowledge of a 17-year-old girl, Alimot, at his hideout at Papa Eleye in Olomi area of Ibadan. He was said to have accosted the victim on February 19, this year, at about 8:30a.m, while wearing a full Nigerian Army camouflage uniform at a desolate spot at Modina, Orita Aperin, Ibadan.

“The hoodlum attacked the said Alimot Ismail, dispossessed her of her cell phone and abducted her to his hide-out at Papa Eleye, Olomi area, Ibadan, where his syndicate member was waiting for him. The victim was held hostage and later raped serially until the next day.

“As soon as the incident was reported at SARS office, a team of SARS operatives swung into action and the two hoodlums, who later identified themselves as Sodiq Abiodun and Lekan Adesokan, 31, were arrested in connection with the crime. A complete set of Nigerian Army camouflage uniform, which he normally wore to carry-out his criminal activities was recovered from him,” the CP said.

But, Sodiq, in an interview with journalists, denied raping Alimot, saying the two of them had sexual intercourse based on mutual consent.

However, he was incoherent when he was asked to explain where he got the complete Nigerian Army camouflage recovered from him by the police, saying he loved the Nigerian Army and he had applied to be enlisted, but his name could not make the list.

Twenty-six cows were also said to have been recovered from the suspected two cattle rustlers, Usman and Majo.

Olukolu said, “Information was received at the SARS office, Dugbe, Ibadan that some suspected notorious hoodlums, who specialised in cattle rustling, were sighted inside the thick forest at Akinmoorin town, via Oyo town with some dangerous weapons and a large herd of cattle, suspected to have been stolen from their owners.

“Sequel to the information, a team of SARS operatives attached to Oyo operational base was quickly dispatched to comb the said forest and in the process, two of the cattle rustlers – Muhammadu Usman and Alhaji Majo were arrested, while some members of the syndicate managed to escape.

“Meanwhile, 26 of the stolen cows were recovered from the hoodlums. Upon, interrogations, they confessed to the crime and explained in details how they attacked the owner of the cows and moved the cows to the forest with intent to later sell them to unsuspecting members of the public. Investigation is now in progress to arrest other fleeing members of the criminal gang.”

The CP also paraded eight suspected cultists with membership from ‘Eiye’ and ‘Aiye’ secret cult confraternities that clashed and in the process used dangerous weapons to attack each other and inflicted severe bodily injury which was said to have culminated in the death of four persons, who were rival cult members at Sango, Ijokodo, Challenge and Agbowo, all within Ibadan metropolis.

Olukolu however commended the people of the state who made the feat possible for the police by making information available, urging the people to go about their lawful businesses without any fear of molestation, distraction, threat of violence from any group or individuals.

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