Osun police arrest suspected impersonator, armed robbers, rapist

The Osun State Police Command has paraded Emmanuel Anthony, accused of using military uniforms to rob passengers along Ekiti Road.

Parading the suspect on Friday at the police command headquarters in Osogbo, Yemisi Opalola, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), revealed that Anthony allegedly forced a victim from Esa-Oke to transfer N3 million to his account.

Anthony is also accused of attacking two others and robbing them of mobile phones valued at N1.25 million.

Opalola said, “On the 31st of May, 2024, at about 1430hrs, one Amole Muiz ‘m’ and Adegoke Gbenga ‘m,’ of Wole–Oke Street, Esa-Oke, reported that unknown gunmen in military uniforms came in a Honda Pilot Jeep, waylaid them, and took them into a bush along Ekiti Road.

“Subsequently, they forced the victims to transfer the sum of N3 million from their bank account into a Monie-point account before they were released. Similarly, one Olawumi Oluwaseun and Ishola, both ‘m,’ were also attacked by the same armed gunmen and robbed of their iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, respectively, valued at N1.25 million before they were also freed.

“Having received this report, detectives from the Anti-kidnapping Squad, through technical and intelligence analysis, identified the account name as belonging to one David Agbebaku ‘m,’ who was later confirmed to have already been arrested by the police in Oyo State.

“Further analysis led the detectives to the arrest of one Anthony Emmanuel ‘m’ in Ibadan. The suspect confessed to being a dismissed soldier and admitted conspiring with David and two others, who are also dismissed military men, to carry out the operations on the victims.

“The suspect was identified by the victims as one of the members of the armed robbery gang that perpetrated the offence.”

Seven other suspects arrested for conspiracy, armed robbery, and receiving stolen vehicles were also paraded.

Opalola added that suspects Lawan Yaro, Gambo Dugje, Adam Abba, Ali Usman, Ali Muhammed, Abbas Abogu, Kamal Haudu, and others would be arraigned in court once investigations into their crimes are completed.

Also, a 23-year-old armed robbery suspect, Godwin Emmanuel, confessed to stealing a police officer’s phone from a patrol van while being transported to the Osun State Police Command.

It was gathered that Emmanuel was arrested along with two other suspects, Olajide Kareem, 28, and Emmanuel Mike, 33, who allegedly robbed residents along the Ilesa-Osu Expressway.

Opalola disclosed, “This case involves incidents of conspiracy and armed robbery along the Ilesa-Osu Expressway by a gang of suspected armed robbers targeting motorists and passengers. The gang robbed them of belongings such as jewelry, various handsets, money, and other valuables. In one of the incidents, a bus driver was shot in the leg but was subsequently rushed to the Seventh-day Adventist Hospital in Ile-Ife, where he received treatment.

“Consequently, the DPO at Moore Division, Ile-Ife, led his patrol team, together with members of the local vigilante group, and arrested one Olajide Kareem ‘m’ in the bush.

“Following the report, the suspect confessed to being a member of a five-man gang of armed robbers who came from the Ikorodu area in Lagos State to perpetrate their acts in Osun State.

“Subsequently, intelligence-driven investigation and strategic tactical operations led the operatives of the Anti-kidnapping Squad to the Majidun area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, where the duo of Mike Emmanuel and Godwin Emmanuel were arrested. The two suspects, upon their arrest, confessed to the offences.

“During the investigation, one of the female victims, about 65 years old, identified Olajide Kareem as the person who raped her while she was accompanying her sick husband to the hospital before their vehicle was stopped at gunpoint. Consequently, this incident led to the death of her sick husband on the spot.”

All the suspects, Opalola said, would be charged to court at the end of the investigation.