…Smash all female gang, recover arms, ammunitions
The Nigeria Police has paraded 54 suspects arrested over their involvement in murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
Parading the suspects, in Abuja, including an all-female armed robbery gang, the Force Public Relations Officer and Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the gang was responsible for the murder of a Kwara state socialite, Adeniyi Ojo.
He said two members of the gang, Joy Adama, and Vandora Oreoluwa, both students of Kwara State Polytechnic, were arrested on October 6, 2023, for their involvement in the robbery and murder of the son of a prominent figure in Ilorin, of Chief Emmanuel Ojo.
The FPRO stated, “Through meticulous investigative work, our officers were able to track and apprehend these suspects in Mowe Ibafo, Ogun state.
“In a tragic incident, the duo tied the deceased under the guise of having a sex rump and demanded money from him.
“However, when he was not forthcoming, they resorted to drugging and suffocating him, leading to his untimely demise.”
While narrating what happened to journalists one of the suspects, Joy, said she had been in sexual relationship with the deceased, however, on that day they went with the intention to steal from him but when he wasn’t succumbing, they drugged him and left with his phone and other valuables only to discover later that he had died.
The spokesperson disclosed that other notable arrests included some suspected kidnappers involved in a Swiss national’s abduction.
He named the suspects as Nneka Okparaf, 33, from Ikeduru LGA in Imo state; Emu Larry Chidiebere, 34, a resident of Ika North East LGA in Delta state; Babatude Femi, 30, originally from Owode Obafemi LGA in Ogun state; Williams Banjo Omotayo, 28, with roots in Epe LGA, Lagos state; and Samuel Balogun, 22, from Isale-Oja LGA in Oyo state.
The five principal suspects, he said, were connected to the kidnapping of a Swiss national named Diego Tanner.
“This unfortunate incident occurred on May 30, 2023, when Mr. Tanner was abducted and subsequently released after a ransom payment of 2,000 euros.
“The dedicated operatives of the IRT, tirelessly working to bring criminals to justice, put to use, the Nigeria Police Force’s ICT apparatus and arrested all the five principal suspects involved in this kidnapping case.
“This operation not only led to the apprehension of the suspects but also resulted in the recovery of critical evidence, including one assault rifle, two locally fabricated single- barrel long guns, and an empty magazine,” the Force PRO stated.
Adejobi added that a total of 54 suspects were arrested by the operatives of DFI-IRT and DFI-STS, some of whom were already facing prosecution in court for the various cases for which they were indicted.
He listed recovered items to include: 92 firearms, 760 live ammunition, 14 exhibit vehicles, one forged document, 120 magazines, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one suicide belt, as well as fake currencies totaling $970, which has been marked as exhibits for the prosecution of the various cases.
