The Oyo State Police Command has arrested two suspected international gun runners. The suspects, identified as Isiaka Dare ‘m’, aged 35 years, and Taiwo Ayodabo ‘m’, aged 33 years, both of Tede, were apprehended at Budo Mosalasi, Saki.
In a statement by DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, deputy superintendent of Police and Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, he said the operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, Saki Operation Base, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, executed a coordinated intelligence-led operation which led to the arrest of the two suspects.
“This is to inform the general public of a major operational breakthrough in its sustained crackdown on the proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition, a menace directly linked to violent crimes within the State and beyond.
“Investigation so far reveals that the suspects operate across international terrain, trafficking ammunition illegally from the Republic of Benin into Nigeria through unauthorised border routes. Their criminal enterprise involves the clandestine importation and distribution of prohibited ammunition to unauthorised individuals within the country—arms and ammunition which may ultimately be deployed in the commission of armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.
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“Corroborating this intelligence, operatives recovered one hundred and five (105) packets of pump-action cartridges concealed in four (4) jerry cans/kegs, with each packet containing twenty-five (25) cartridges, amounting to a total of two thousand six hundred and twenty-five (2,625) cartridges. Two unregistered motorcycles believed to have been used for the illegal transportation and distribution of the ammunition were equally recovered. The suspects have confessed to the crime and are currently assisting investigators in unravelling the wider transnational network and identifying other accomplices involved in the illicit trade.”
Consequent upon this development, Femi Haruna, the Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspects be charged to court upon the conclusion of a thorough and comprehensive investigation.
The CP commended the professionalism and precision of the intelligence-led operation carried out by the Command Monitoring Unit, noting that proactive policing and actionable intelligence remain critical tools in dismantling organized criminal networks.
The Commissioner equally expressed appreciation to members of the public whose timely and credible information facilitated this breakthrough, emphasizing that community partnership remains indispensable in the fight against violent crime.
He further reassured residents that the Oyo State Police Command will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the State does not serve as a safe haven for crime and criminality. The Command therefore urges the public to remain vigilant and continue to provide useful information as efforts intensify to rid the State of illegal arms proliferation and its attendant security threats.
