Police recover 87 phones, 10 laptops, 11 generators, others from three suspects
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin
Kwara State Police Command has arrested three suspected rapists and armed robbers at Malete in Moro Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects; Ridwan Abdulfatai (20), Ibrahim Ridwan Akorede (25) and Aliyu Abubakar Apalado (25) have all confessed to the crimes, according to the police.
Items recovered from the suspects, according to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in the state, Ajayi Okasanmi, include one locally made gun, one jack knife and charms, 11 generating sets, two motorcycles, one small size fridge, one standing fan and one pumping machine.
Others items recovered are; 19 iPhone 6 handsets, three iPhone11 handsets, 16 iPhone 6 plus, 5 iPhone XR and other brands of telephone handsets altogether totalling 87 handsets, 10 laptops and two television sets.
Okasanmi said: “Due to reports of armed robbery/rape cases received by Malete Divisional Police Headquarters from attacked students and residents of Malete, a university town in Kwara State, the Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, pursuant to his earlier assertion that lawlessness of whatever nomenclature would not be allowed in Kwara State while in office as the commissioner of police in the state, set up a crack team of detectives comprising the anti-cultists, anti-kidnapping, anti-robbery and personnel of Malete Division with the mandate to break the suspects’ foothold and bring the culprits to justice.
“In carrying out the directive of the CP after receiving another report of an armed robbery attack from the trio of Adeboyo Omolade, Adeyeye Adebola and Babatunde Hellen, all 400L students of Kwara State University, Malete that at about 0330hrs of 07/10/2022, they were all robbed at their hostel called ‘Downtown’ by armed hoodlums and their property forcefully carted away, the team swung into action.
“While approaching the suspected hideout of the gang, the team was sighted by the hoodlums and the armed robbers took to their heels. One Ridwan Abdulfatai, aged 20 years, from Oke Fomo Ilorin was arrested by the detectives.
“Consequently, the suspect under intense interrogation confessed he is the leader of a robbery gang terrorizing the Malete community and its environs, stating also that he is also a jail bird.
“He led the investigators to effect the arrest of two other members of the gang, namely, Ibrahim Ridwan Akorede, 25 years of Oke Fomo area of Ilorin, and Aliyu Abubakar Apalado, 25 years. They all confessed to the crimes.
“The investigation also led to the recovery of the items snatched on gun points during some of their operations.”
He noted that efforts were being made to arrest the remaining members of the gang.
