April 10, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Police Command in Ogun State has arrested three members of a land-grabbing syndicate terrorizing Gbayunre village in Ado odo/Ota Local Government Area of the State.
The suspects, Sunday Owoyele, 32, Idowu Ayobami, 32 and Kola Owolabi, 39, were arrested on April 4, 2023.
They were arrested following a petition received from Dada Gbabi family of Gbayunre village.
The family said that a group of land grabbers led by one Joseph Ayodele, invaded their village with dangerous weapons and chased out the family from their landed property situated at Atan Ayunre area and forcefully occupied the village.
The Police Public Relation Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed this to newsmen in a statement in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
Oyeyemi said that on the strength of the petition, the Commissioner of Police directed the Deputy Commissioner in charge of State Criminal Investigation Departments, DCP Babakura Muhammed, to investigate the case and bring the culprit to book.
He said D.C detailed a team of detectives to the scene where three members of the syndicate were apprehended, while others, including their leader, Ayodele Joseph, who has been on the wanted list of the Command in connection with a series of violent land-grabbing cases in Ado odo Ota and its environs, took to their heels.
The Police PRO said that one of the arrested suspects, Kola Owolabi, had once been arrested for snatching a riffle from an officer but was overpowered then, and he was subsequently charged to court and remanded in prison custody.
Recovered from them are assorted criminal charms and weeds suspected to be indian hemp.
Meanwhile, the Command advised Ayodele Joseph, the leader of the violent gang, to report himself at the state Criminal Investigation Departments, Eleweran, Abeokuta in his own interest.
The Command said if he failed to do so, he would be hunted for and brought to justice, as the Command will not fold its arms while some unscrupulous elements will be making life difficult for innocent members of the public.
