Four suspects who specialised in supplying of arms and ammunition to armed robbery gangs causing mayhem have been arrested on Thursday by the Oyo State Police Command.
This was disclosed to newsmen by the commissioner of Police, Mr. Shina Olukolu while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan.
Olukolu said the suspects were arrested in their hideouts with 10,000 live cartridges on July 23 at 2.00 a.m., at Oke-Bola area of Ibadan.
He noted that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the command received information about the activities of the syndicates and swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
According to him, the suspects concealed the cartridges in an unregistered Toyota Sienna bus and a Toyota Camry car with registration number Lagos GGE 979 FT.
One of the suspects told newsmen that he had no licence to sell the cartridges, adding that he was only being patronised by the hunters.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two female armourers to a gang of armed robbers were also presented, having been caught with a locally-made double-barrel pistol.
Olukolu said that police investigation indicated that the two females were members of notorious armed robbers, whose duty was to conceal and convey arms and ammunition to any location of their male syndicate’s operation.
According to him, the suspects were arrested in their hideout in Iseyin on July 20 at 7.00 p.m.
“The suspects, upon interrogation, confessed that they were given the pistol by their syndicate kingpin and his cohorts, to conceal from Lagos State, to evade police arrest on their way to Iseyin, where operation will be carried out.
“Efforts to arrest the kingpin and his cohorts, who are at large, are being intensified,” Olukolu said.