The Police in Oyo state have arrested two former employees of the defunct National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA) and fake military personnel over alleged transformer theft and unlawful possession of firearms.
18 other suspects were also paraded at the command’s headquarters in Ibadan on Monday over alleged attempted kidnapping, robbery as well as hijacking, and diversion.
Briefing journalists, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Adewale Osifeso, said that the command’s anti-crime patrol arrested the two former NEPA employees following credible intelligence about their activities.
Osifeso said that the suspects were arrested on Saturday at about 2.00 p.m. in the Aroje area of Ogbomoso, Oyo state.
He said that five other suspects were arrested along with the former NEPA staff over the alleged transformer theft.
Osifeso said that one big transformer valued at N5 million and a Toyota DAINA Truck used to convey the transformer were recovered from the suspects.
The PPRO said the suspects confessed to having removed the transformer from where it was installed for onward movement to their criminal receiver in Lagos State.
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He said that the men are suspected to be responsible for similar criminal activities in various parts of Oyo State and its neighboring states.
Also paraded were a bricklayer, a hunter, and one other member of a gang, who disguise as military officers by wearing military camouflage uniforms and other accouterments to attack and rob unsuspecting members of the public at Ajoda and Egbeda axis in Ibadan.
Osifeso said the suspects were arrested on Thursday at about 10.30 a.m, in military gear for their operation while one of them was found in possession of a single-barrel gun.
“Upon interrogation, the suspects were unable to give any satisfactory explanations about the Military Uniforms and the gun recovered from them,” he said.
The PPRO said that exhibits recovered from the suspects included military shorts, one Fulani turban, one red beret, and one dagger.
The Police also paraded a 25-year-old suspect, who masterminded the plot to kidnap his elder brother and later succeeded in collecting N1.5 million from the brother after a series of threat calls to his brother through three of his accomplices.
