Police arrest suspected bandits’ logistics supplier in Ilorin
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin
The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected supplier of logistics to bandits and other criminal elements operating in parts of the state, as security agencies intensify efforts to dismantle criminal networks and their support structures.
The arrest was made by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) following what the police described as credible intelligence and sustained covert surveillance. The operation forms part of ongoing efforts to implement the strategic policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, which emphasizes intelligence-led crime fighting and the disruption of criminal enterprises.
According to the police, the suspect was apprehended in Ilorin and is believed to be linked to the movement and supply of materials destined for criminal groups operating in forested areas and remote locations across the state.
Items recovered from the suspect include a large quantity of assorted cigarette brands and other food supplies believed to be part of a logistics chain used to sustain bandits and allied criminal elements.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi. She said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly plays a strategic support role within a wider network responsible for providing sustenance and other forms of assistance to criminal groups.
The police spokesperson further stated that investigators recovered photographs from the suspect’s mobile phone showing him dressed in military camouflage and seated on a Bajaj motorcycle, a discovery that has strengthened intelligence leads regarding his suspected links to criminal elements.
She added that efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the network, stressing that the command remains committed to exposing and dismantling all structures that enable criminal activities in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, CP Adekimi Ojo, reassured residents that security operations are increasingly targeting not only armed criminals but also their collaborators, informants, suppliers and other enablers. He emphasized that the command is determined to deny criminal groups the resources, mobility and support networks required to operate while sustaining pressure on anyone aiding criminality in any form.
