Three suspected members of a land grabbing syndicate terrorising Gbayunre Village in Ado odo Ota local government area of Ogun State have been arrested by operatives of the Ogun State Police command.
The suspects – Sunday Owoyele, 32; Idowu Ayobami, 32 and Kola Owolabi 39 – were arrested on April 4, 2023 following a petition received from Dada Gbabi family of Gbayunre Village.
In the petition, the family 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.
According to the spokesman of the police command, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, 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.
READ ALSO: 43-year old man arrested for setting his ex-lover’s apartment on fire
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.
Recovered from them are assorted criminal charms and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.
Meanwhile, the command has charged 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 failure to report himself would lead to operatives going for him.
The command said it would not fold its arms while some unscrupulous elements would be making life difficult for innocent members of the public.
