Oyo State Police Arrest Two Suspected Highway Robbers, Recover Firearm in Afijio

…A Survivors recount terrifying ordeal after gang attacked passengers, stole #3 million, injured victims near Akoda

Oyo State Police Command has arrested two suspected armed robbers and recovered a firearm following an attack on travellers along the Oyo-Iwo Expressway in Afijio Local Government Area.

The suspects, identified as Abubakar Jape and Sheu Dengi, were arrested after a distress call alerted the Police Control Room in Eleyele, Ibadan, that armed hoodlums had barricaded the highway near Akoda Village and were robbing motorists.

According to the Police, the incident occurred on Saturday, July 4, at about 8:00 p.m., when four armed men allegedly attacked passengers returning from Omo-Oba Market to Iwo, Osun State.

The assailants reportedly carted away about three million naira and inflicted machete injuries on some of the victims, including two women and a young boy.

The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Olugbenga, immediately deployed operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to the scene.

The operatives rescued the victims, secured the area and recovered a single-barrel gun and two clubs believed to have been used during the robbery.

Subsequent intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of the two suspects at their hideouts.

Police said the suspects confessed to participating in the robbery, while an identification parade confirmed them as members of the gang.

Officers also recovered a rechargeable torch belonging to one of the victims.

Speaking to www.National Daily News.com.ng, the driver of the attacked vehicle, Amuda Sodiq, said the robbers ambushed their vehicle after placing a roadblock on the highway.

He alleged that the four armed men stole about three million naira, assaulted the passengers and macheted two women and a young boy before fleeing.

Sodiq commended the swift intervention of the Nigeria Police Force, saying officers responded promptly to their distress call and later tracked down some of the suspects.

One of the victims, 20-year-old Rokibat, recounted her ordeal, saying the attackers smashed the bus window with the butt of a gun before attempting to sexually assault her.

She alleged that after resisting the attempt, one of the assailants beat her severely and attacked her with a cutlass, leaving her with injuries on her hand and leg. Rokibat said she escaped into a nearby bush and was eventually rescued by local hunters and residents who had joined the search after the driver raised the alarm.

Another female victim, aged 28, also narrated how she fled into the bush after the attackers shattered the vehicle’s window.

She alleged that the armed men dragged her into the bush, assaulted her and attempted to rape her before abandoning her after discovering she was menstruating.

She said local hunters later rescued her and assisted security operatives in searching the surrounding area, leading to the arrest of some of the suspects.

The Commissioner of Police praised the professionalism of the VCRU operatives and assured residents that efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the gang still at large.

The Command also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to strengthen efforts at tackling crime across Oyo State.