Ondo police arrest two suspects, recover guns in Akure raids
By Boye Oyeyemi
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested two men in separate security operations in Akure, recovering two locally made firearms suspected to be linked to criminal activities.
The suspects, Oliver Bamidele, 32, and Levis Prince, 35, were arrested on October 13 and 19, respectively, by officers attached to the B Division Surveillance Patrol Team and Okuta Elerinla Division.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the arrests were part of ongoing efforts to prevent armed robbery and other violent crimes in the state.
According to the statement, Bamidele was stopped along the Idanre Road axis of Akure on October 13 during a routine stop-and-search operation. A search reportedly led to the discovery of a cut-to-size locally made firearm concealed on him.
The police said Bamidele was taken into custody and admitted ownership of the weapon. They added that further investigations would determine where he obtained the firearm and what he intended to use it for.
In a separate operation on October 19, officers patrolling the Madam Do Good area of Oyemekun Road, Akure, intercepted two people riding a blue TVS motorcycle. A search reportedly led to the recovery of another locally made pistol, while one of the individuals escaped and Prince was arrested.
The command said efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect and determine whether the recovered firearms were connected to other crimes.
Reacting, the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, commended the officers involved and pledged to sustain the operations through patrols, intelligence gathering and stop-and-search exercises. He also rged residents to support security efforts by providing useful information, assuring the public of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.
