Police arrest two over alleged involvement in Oyo-Iwo highway robbery
By Adejayan Gbenga
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested two suspected armed robbers allegedly linked to an attack on motorists along the Oyo-Iwo Expressway.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, revealed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, stating that the suspects were apprehended following investigations launched after the highway robbery incident.
As disclosed by the spokesperson, exhibits were also recovered from the suspects during an intelligence-led operation.
According to Ayanlade, the attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday, July 5, 2026, when armed men reportedly barricaded the Oyo-Iwo Expressway near Akoda Village in Afijio Local Government Area and robbed unsuspecting motorists. He said the command received a distress call through the Police Control Room at Eleyele, Ibadan, prompting an immediate response by security operatives to the scene.
Ayanlade explained that operatives of the Command’s Visual Crime Response Unit subsequently launched an intelligence-driven investigation, which led them to the hideouts of the suspects. The operation resulted in the arrest of Abubakar Jape and Sheu Dengi.
The police spokesperson said both suspects confessed to their involvement in the robbery during interrogation. He added that victims later positively identified the duo during an identification parade as members of the gang responsible for the attack.
He further disclosed that exhibits connected to the robbery were recovered from the suspects during the operation, adding that the items would aid ongoing investigations and prosecution.
Meanwhile, the command assured residents that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the robbery gang who remain at large. It also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to support security agencies in combating crime across Oyo State.
