A statement by the spokesperson of Osun police command, Yemisi Opalola, obtained in Osogbo, said four of the suspects, Ibrahim Yusuf (24), Lawal Abubakar (25), Umar Abubakar (35), and Sule Muhammed (20), were arrested with the vehicle snatched from the victim.
Opalola, however, said the other two suspects, Salisu Ismail (31) and Habeeb Saidu (27), were the receiver of the stolen vehicle.
She further said, “On 15th June 2023 at about 0630hrs, the complainant reported at Gbongan Division that, at about 0100hrs of same date he picked four (4) passengers from Opic park, Ogun State heading to Abuja with unregistered Mercedez Benz car. But on getting to a point around Ikire’s jurisdiction, the said passengers forced him to stop and started shooting to scare him.
“While struggling with them, he was stabbed with a knife at his left hand, pushed out of the vehicle and suspects went away with the said 4matic Benz car. He further stressed that; he can identify the suspects if seen. Immediately after the Police received the report, a team of policemen on stop and search along Ibadan/Ile-Ife expressway, Gbongan was alerted, but when the suspects sighted the policemen, they abandoned the said car and took to their heels and escaped to the bush.
“Police did not rest on his oars; combed the bush where two of the suspects were arrested. Efforts put in place by Anti-Kidnapping Squad yielded more results whereby four other suspects were arrested at Lagos State.”
On other successes recorded by the command in the recent past, Opalola said operatives also arrested three suspects, Akano Olasunkanmi (20), Monsuru Ali (25), and Tunde Alabi (42), for alleged unlawful possession of firearms.
She said one cut-to-size locally-made pistol, 10 locally-made Dane guns, one pump action, and one live cartridge were also recovered from the suspects.