Ogun police arrest two over cattle theft, foil suspected abduction

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested two suspected members of a cattle theft syndicate, recovered six stolen cows and foiled a suspected abduction attempt in separate operations across the state.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, operatives of the Sagamu Division arrested Abiodun Kamilu, 35, and Adesanya Segun, 37, while also recovering six of the seven cows allegedly stolen from a cattle yard in the Maskoli area of Sagamu.

Babaseyi said the arrests followed a distress call received in the early hours of July 25, reporting that suspected cattle thieves had invaded the cattle yard and made away with seven cows.

He added that police operatives immediately launched coordinated patrols around identified exit routes before intercepting suspicious vehicles along the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Expressway, leading to the arrest of the suspects, the recovery of the stolen animals and the seizure of a blue Nissan Cabster bus believed to have been used for the operation.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said operatives of the command’s Safer Highway Patrol Team also foiled a suspected abduction attempt at Onigaari along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at about 7:10 p.m. on July 26 after responding to gunshots heard during a routine patrol.

He said the swift response of the officers forced the suspected abductors to flee into a nearby bush, while the victim was rescued unharmed and escorted, alongside the vehicle, to the Ogunmakin Police Post for safety and other necessary procedures.

Babaseyi said investigations were ongoing to arrest other members of the alleged cattle theft syndicate, recover the remaining stolen cow and apprehend the fleeing suspects involved in the attempted abduction.

The Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the officers for their professionalism and assured residents that the command would continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, visibility policing and tactical operations while urging members of the public to provide timely and credible information to support efforts to combat crime.