Police Harvest 34 Male, I Female Armed Robbers

Police Harvest 34 Male, 1 Female Armed Robbers

**Re-arrest 5 Escapee Prison Inmates

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested thirty-five suspects comprising thirty-four male and one female for their involvement and indictment in cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and other heinous crimes in some parts of the country.

This was disclosed by the Force Public Relation Officer, (FPRO) Frank Mba (DCP) in a press release.

Mba said that five inmates who escaped from lawful custody from the Benin City Correctional Centre during the ENDSARS protests were also rearrested.   

 

Exhibits recovered from the suspects include: 8 AK49 rifles,1 Beretta Pistol with 6 rounds of live ammunition, 3 locally made pistols, 111 rounds of AK47 ammunition,10 AK47 magazine, 5 live cartridges,7 Laptop computers, 1 anti-tracking device,1 camouflage vest, 8 stolen but recovered vehicles, 1 stolen but recovered trailer truck (Mercedes Actros with reg. no. NNK 334 YT).

 

Notable amongst the cases according to the Force Public Relation Officer is the re-arrest of five inmates who escaped from lawful custody at the Oko Correctional Centre, Benin City during the ENDSARS protests. The suspects, Onaruje Benjamin, who had earlier been convicted for Conspiracy and Armed Robbery and was on death-row at the time of escape, 

He said that Adebayo Opeyemi, a dismissed soldier, Peter Felix Osas, Frank Odion Oloye and Alhaji Hudu Musa a.k.a Mai Cellular were arrested by operatives of the FIB – Intelligence Response Team in Kaduna State for the offences of Armed Robbery, Car Theft and Unlawful Possession of Firearms.  

Mba revealed that the suspects haven escaped from the Correctional Centre, formed a new criminal gang and returned to their old enterprise. 

"As a matter of fact, one of the suspects, Onaruje Benjamin, snatched a Toyota Corolla Car in Benin, 30-minutes after his escape from the Correctional Centre. Five vehicles earlier snatched from their owners at gun point in different parts of the country were recovered from the gang. While Onaruje Benjamin is the leader of the gang and the arms bearer, Alhaji Hudu Musa is in charge of ferrying and disposing the stolen vehicles to Niger Republic." The FPRO noted.

 

Mba said that the arrested female suspect, Talatu Ibrahim, 40years old is from Shinkafi LGA, Zamfara State from whom six (6) AK49 rifles were recovered noting that her arrest led to the subsequent arrest of Duleji Alhaji Abubakar a.k.a Ori jeje residing at Ekka village, Koro LGA, Kwara State. 

Police investigation according to FPRO revealed that Ori Jeje has been getting arms supply from Talatu Ibrahim to carry out series of kidnapping and armed robbery in Kwara State.

 

Also arrested was Abdullahi Mohammed a.k.a ‘Governmenti’, a specialist in car snatching who has snatched eighteen vehicles at gun point in Jos and Bauchi State within 90-day.