Police arrest five suspected armed robbers, recover AK-47 in Osun
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
The Osun State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate and recovered an AK-47 rifle, 13 rounds of live ammunition and a single-barrel firearm allegedly used in a robbery operation.
The command, in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said the breakthrough followed a report by a resident of Ada, Osun State, on August 17, 2026, that his newly acquired Lexus Jeep had been stolen overnight by armed men.
According to the statement, the command’s Anti-Robbery Team immediately commenced a pursuit of the suspects using tracking devices installed in the stolen vehicle. The operation led to the arrest of Johnson Friday, 30, and Augustine Godwin, 28, at a filling station in Ibadan, Oyo State, while they were refuelling the stolen vehicle.
The police said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were on their way to deliver the stolen vehicle to a receiver in Idiroko. It added that information provided by them led to the arrest of two other suspected gang members, Augustine Godday, 18, and Semiu Ogunlowo, 20, in Esa-Oke, Osun State.
“Further investigation based on information provided by the suspects led operatives to Ila-Orangun, where an AK-47 rifle with 13 rounds of live ammunition and one single-barrel firearm used in the operation were recovered. The firearms were reportedly concealed in a sack and kept behind Godwin’s room,” the statement said.
The investigation also led to the arrest of Olamide Afeez, 29, whom the police described as an informant to the robbery gang and a close friend of the complainant.
The Commissioner of Police (Election), Osun State Command, CP Samuel Erale Etaifo, said the investigation was ongoing, particularly towards the possible arrest of the suspected receiver in Idiroko.
The command assured members of the public that anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law and urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely information to assist in preventing and combating crime.
