The Police Command in Ogun on Monday said it arrested three suspected members of a land grabbers syndicate terrorising Gbayunre Village in the Ado-Odo Local Government Area of the state.
The Police spokesperson in the state, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, made this known in a statement issued and made available to newsmen in Ota, Ogun.
Oyeyemi explained that the suspects, Sunday Owoyele, 32; Idowu Ayobami, 32; and Kola Owolabi, 39, were arrested on April 4, following a petition received from Dada Gbabi family of Gbayunre Village.
The PPRO said that the complainant (Gbabi) stated 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.
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.
“In compliance with the CP’s directive, the 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 series of violent land grabbing cases in Ado-odo, Ota and its environs took to their heels.
“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,” he said.
According to Oyeyemi, recovered from the suspects are assorted criminal charms and weeds, suspected to be Indian hemp.
“Meanwhile, the Command is using this medium to advise Ayodele Joseph, the leader of the violent gang, to report himself at the state Criminal Investigation Departments, Eleweran, Abeokuta, in his own interest.
“However, if he fails to do so, he should be rest assured that he will 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,” he added.
