The Police in Oyo State have arrested two former employees of the defunct National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA) and a fake military personnel over alleged transformer theft and unlawful possession of firearms.
Eighteen other suspects were also paraded at the command’s headquarters in Ibadan yesterday over alleged attempted kidnap, robbery as well as hijacking and diversion.
Briefing journalists, police spokesman Adewale Osifeso said 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 Aroje area of Ogbomoso.
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 have 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 uniform and other accoutrements 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 gears 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 short, one Fulani turban, one red beret and one dagger.
The Police also paraded a 25 year old suspect, who mastermind the plot to kidnap his elder brother and later succeeded in collecting N1.5 million from the brother after series of threat calls to his brother through three of his accomplices.