Oyo state Police Command on Thursday paraded four illegal arms dealers, concealing 10,000 live cartridges for supply to suspected criminals.
Addressing newsmen at the parade ground, Eleyele Police Headquarters, Ibadan, the state Police Commissioner , Mr. Shina Olukolu advised residents to be security conscious in view of the current festive season, and be mindful of whom they transact business with to avoid being swindled.
The arms dealers, who were arrested on July 23, 2019, at Oke-bola area of the city, included Adekunle Abimbola, Abel Kojo , Mukaila Ariyo, and Ade Adebay.
While confessing that they have been on the business of ammunition/arms supply for many years without license, the suspects disagreed that armed robbers and bandits were their buyers; rather they told newsmen that hunters were their clients.
However, the state Police Chief who insisted that the ammunitions were supplied to armed robbers disclosed that they would be made face the full wrath of the law.
He gave credit to the aggressive drive put up by state police command through proactive approach and sustainable community policing strategy.
This, according to him, has continued to yield positive results and giving the police an edge above criminals in the state.
“The officers and men under my watch have continued to put up spirited efforts to ensure high level of professionalism and tolerance is demonstrated when carrying out their constitutional responsibility of the protection of life and property. Without mincing words, criminals in Oyo state have not been having a safe haven to carry out their dastardly acts of unleashing terror on innocent citizens due to constant raids and routine patrols of all nooks and crannies. However, the command is conscious of the possibility of increase of crime rate often associated with the festive season. Sequel to this, as part of our proactive measures to allay the fears of the people, we have Carrie out a review of our security architecture to guarantee security of lives and property of the citizens before, during and after the forth coming Eid-el-Kabir celebration.” said the police boss.
