MICHAEL AKINOLA
Four suspects have been arrested with pump action rifle, AK-47 and other dangerous weapons as heavily armed men again invaded Ipetu Baba Ode in the Ado-Ota Local Government area of Ogun State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the residents of the community once again called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to save them from a notorious land grabber, known as Elijah Killer.
The residents also called on the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, to use the arrest of the suspects with the recovery of the arms and ammunition as a stepping stone to finding a lasting peace in the town.
It was gathered that armed men numbering over seventy at the weekend stormed the Ogun community for the second time in two weeks.
The arrested persons have been identified as Ibrahim Abidoye, Lawal Kamilu, Jelili Hassan and Oladimeji Sulaimon, while some other members of the gang are still in the community as at the time of filing this report.
The suspects were arrested while returning from the Ipetu Baba Ode community on Saturday after a two-day reign of terror on the residents.
A Police source, who pleaded anonymity said, “The four of them were arrested following a discreet and tactical operation by men of Atan Division”.
“They attacked the community on Friday. Policemen were deployed to different part of Baba Ode and Atan to trail the attackers” the source said.
He continued, “They ran out of luck and were arrested when the Police intercepted their operational motorcycle and upon a thorough search, large arms and ammunition were recovered from them”.
“They have confessed to be coming from Ipetu Baba Ode. Investigation is still ongoing to arrest other members of the gang” he stated.
The latest invasion by the gunmen on Ipetu Baba Ode is the sixth in the last two years with many lives lost and many other injured as the invaders continued to defy the Police and other security agencies.
Operatives of the Department of State Security had last year arrested Elijah Killer in connection with the killing of two people over the same Ipetu Baba Ode crisis.
A community leader, Chief Yaya Are Alayande said, “It appears these people are not afraid of the Police and the government anymore. Just two weeks ago, three people were shot by this same gunmen”.
“Their leader and some of them are still facing murder charges for their activities in the past but because they believe that they have the backing of some senior Police officers, they can always get away with their crimes.”
Yaya Are added that, “This is an opportunity to get to the root of the whole thing. Some of them have been arrested with pump action gun and other deadly weapons. The Police should thoroughly investigate them”.
“The Inspector General of Police and the Ogun State Governor can now get to the bottom of the whole thing with the arrest of some of them” he concluded.