Police arrest two suspected robbers in Akure, recover revolver

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested two men allegedly linked to an armed robbery syndicate in Akure and recovered a locally made revolver and other items suspected to have been used in criminal activities.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this in a statement issued on behalf of the command on Friday, saying the suspects were arrested on September 27 by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit.

The suspects, identified as 35-year-old Isreal Abakah and 37-year-old Gbene Emmanuel, were arrested at separate locations in Akure following intelligence on the activities of the suspected syndicate.

Jimoh said operatives also raided the gang’s alleged hideout in the Olufoam area of the state capital, where they recovered a locally made revolver capable of holding four rounds of ammunition.

Other items recovered from the hideout, according to the PPRO, included suspected criminal charms, a laptop computer, motorcycle mirrors and a number plate.

He said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects allegedly belonged to a syndicate involved in robbery operations in Akure and neighbouring communities, adding that they also allegedly confessed to participating in some of the incidents.

The command said investigations were ongoing to determine the suspects’ links to other robbery cases, recover additional exhibits and apprehend other members of the syndicate who remained at large.

Reacting, the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, commended the operatives for the arrests and urged residents to report suspicious activities to the police, assuring them that the command would sustain intelligence-led operations to protect lives and property across the state.