Gang arrested after diverting 410 generating sets, 450 gallons of engine oil in Oyo

Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Oyo State Police Command have nabbed a gang that allegedly diverted a Mack truck conveying goods worth over N40 million from Sagamu, Ogun State to Oyo, Oyo State, with 10 suspects arrested in the process.

Disclosing this during the parade of the suspects at the police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan on Monday, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, said following credible information about the activities of the gang, SARS operatives arrested members of the gang on August 22 after carrying out a discreet investigation.

Olukolu said that the gang, which included a woman, was about to dispose of the goods in the truck, containing 410 pieces of new SUMEC portable generating sets and 450 gallons of four-litre engine oil, when they were arrested.

The police commissioner stated further that the Mack truck, with registration number EKY 743 XF, and a Toyota Camry car, with registration number SMK 591 EQ, which were used in the operation were also recovered.

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He gave the names of the suspects as Adekunle Awoyode (37), Sarafadeen Abiodun (32), Ismail Oyelowo (28), Abiodun Azeez (26), Sulaimon Olamilekan (25), Olasode Hammed (20), Alhaji Jelili Olowoaje (43), Hamidu Tafa (23), Quadri Afeez (31) and Wasilat Taiwo (46), adding that they would be charged to court upon completion of investigation into their case.

Speaking with Tribune Online, the truck driver, Abiodun, said he worked for a logistics company in Sagamu, and was taking the goods to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“However, I didn’t know what came over me, but shortly before the journey, I called one of my friends, who is also a driver, Adekunle Awoyode, and discussed how I could divert the goods with him.

“He then linked me to a friend of his in Oyo, so, instead of going to Port Harcourt, I set off to Oyo, where we were arrested when we were off-loading the goods at a shop.

“Before our arrest, when I got to Oyo, the person I was linked with said he would give me N1 million first because he didn’t know the cost of the generating sets. He said he would give me the balance after selling the goods.

“I had not done this before, and I didn’t know what came over me, but since we have been arrested, then, we will face the music for our actions,” Abiodun said.

But the woman in whose shop the goods was stored, Taiwo, denied the knowledge of the whole plan, saying Awoyode approached her that somebody wanted to sell vegetable oil, “and I would be given N1 million if I could store them in my shop before they are sold.

“I agreed to that, but after the third day, I saw a truck and they began offloading generating sets and engine oil. I protested because it was vegetable oil they told me about.

“It was after loading the goods that the police came to arrest me; I didn’t know anything about the crime,” Taiwo said.

The police commissioner charged residents of the state to continue to support the police with information, in order to assist in curbing crime in the state.