Sola Adeyemo 
No fewer than thirty-one (31) suspected criminals were yesterday paraded in Ibadan by the Oyo State Police Command for their alleged involvement in various crimes ranging from armed robbery, hijacking and diversion of goods worth millions of naira to abduction for ransom, among others.
The suspects were paraded alongside their exhibits at the Oyo State Police Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan on Friday.
While briefing Journalists on behalf of the State Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat at Eleyele, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, paraded some suspects arrested for hijacking and diversion of goods worth millions of naira. They are: Moses Olatunji, (37), Teslim Olapade (41), and Lawal Adeshina (51).
The suspects were said to have been arrested on the 28th of September, 2023 wherein one Moses Olatunji Isaac was arrested at his hideout on Ring Road area of Ibadan at about 0200hrs.
His words: “Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to having masterminded a series of such criminal activities along Ibadan/Lagos Expressway and he later led operatives of the Monitoring Unit to his syndicate’s hideout where One Hundred and Three (103) Rolls of Imported Rugs valued about Five Hundred and Fifty Million (N550, 000, 000. 00) ONLY were recovered.
“The suspect confessed that he concealed the rugs in the hideout after the trailer conveying them was hijacked from its driver along the Ibadan/Lagos Expressway.
“Further investigations later led to another suspected member of the criminal gang identified as Lawal Adeshina who equally voluntarily confessed the role he played in the hijacking and diversion of the goods.
“The hijacked DAF Trailer which conveyed the imported Rugs was equally recovered. Investigation continues with assurances that further developments will be communicated.” Osifeso said.
In his confession to journalists, one of the suspected hijackers, Moses Olatunji said, “I have been to prison before, though I was in remanded in prison and my crime then was the diversion of fabrics and that was last year around May – June and I was there for 8 days. After I came out, I went back to the business.
“The first crime I was involved in was the diversion of 550 generating sets and we were arrested while trying to divert the goods. The DAF truck here is mine, I use it for logistics purposes. In this particular case, I was arrested on my way while trying to get a buyer for my truck and the content inside it, which are 103 rolls of rugs. I admit that I commit the crime.” Moses said.
