Four Suspects Arrested for Armed Robbery in Osogbo
Four suspects have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a series of armed robberies in Osogbo, Osun State. The group reportedly invaded homes, stole vehicles and other valuables, and used machetes to attack uncooperative victims. According to police reports, the suspects confessed to these crimes during interrogations with the Osun State Police Command.
The four suspects identified are Temitope, Olajide, Imisi, and Yemi. They were found in possession of several stolen vehicles, including a Toyota Avalon, Toyota Venza, Lexus ES 300, and an unregistered Toyota Camry (Muscle), 2010 model. Additional items recovered included an iPhone 16 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S20, two Tecno Pro 10 phones, one iPhone 12, one iPhone 11 Pro Max, and one iPhone X.
The Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, Ibrahim Gotan, provided details about the arrest. He explained that the complainant, Oluwatobi (names withheld), reported on September 5 that four armed men invaded his residence, inflicted machete cuts on his head and body, and took his iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S20 before driving away in his Toyota Avalon.
Through intelligence-led investigation, three of the suspects—Oke Temitope, Odewale Olajide, and Ajewole Imisi—were arrested on September 6 at their hideout in Gwagwalada, Abuja. Meanwhile, the leader of the robbery syndicate, Ariyo Yemi, was arrested in his hideout in Osogbo.
Details of the Robberies
The suspects confessed to having stolen several vehicles in Osogbo before their arrest, and police noted that car theft has drastically reduced since their apprehension. Saturday Tribune reported that the suspects were arrested in a hotel they lodged in, in Abuja. Soldiers who trailed them reportedly knocked on the doors of their rooms one after another.
The first suspect to be arrested was Imisi. After him, they went to Jide’s room, but immediately he saw them, he quickly shut and locked the door. They were said to have gone after Temitope, whom they also got. However, Jide had planned to escape. Suddenly, they heard a crash of glass—Jide had punched through the window and jumped out from the second floor of the hotel. As he landed, he scaled the hotel fence and jumped into the compound of the next building. He was, however, pursued and caught.
It was also learned that the armed robbers allegedly used a device to block vehicle trackers so they would not be trailed. They were reportedly shocked by their arrest, wondering whether they had been followed from Osogbo to Abuja.
The Victim’s Ordeal
Oluwatobi, the victim, narrated his ordeal: “In the early hours of September 5, around 4 a.m., I returned from a church vigil with my wife. She went to sleep straight away while I went to the toilet. I started hearing a ruffling sound where the car shed was and wondered why birds were disturbing me.”
He described how he saw one of the armed robbers, whom he later knew as Temitope, trying to force their gate open. He shouted “ole! ole!” (thief! thief!) and started running towards their sitting room to check if they had locked the exit door by the kitchen. To his surprise, he saw two armed robbers, also wearing black with nose masks. They started banging the doors, and he became afraid they might injure his wife, so he opened the door of the room he was in. As he did, two of them started using the machetes they held to inflict cuts on him.
Operational Methods
Temitope, one of the suspects, gave detailed accounts of the gang’s operations. He mentioned that they targeted houses at about 1 a.m., jumping the fence of the targeted house and forcing the door of the apartment open. A couple lived there, and when the husband heard their movement, he asked, “Who is that?” They announced their presence.
The man tried to stop them from coming in, but they overpowered him. AY started inflicting machete cuts on his head. Blood was flowing from the cuts. Till they finished their operation, the man could not say anything again. Yemi took his car key from him and gave it to Temitope.
Imisi, who was the one getting buyers for the stolen vehicles, told them he could conveniently sell 100 vehicles if they could get them. He waited for Temitope at their usual hotel. Imisi would call two Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) that he used to interact with. He would ask them to delete the initial registration details and replace them with another. They always got the papers ready before they reached Abuja.
Last Operation and Arrest
During the last operation, Yemi, Timileyin, Jide, and Temitope went to Ibokun area. At first, they were unsuccessful, and Yemi told them to go to another area. They eventually targeted a house where they found a Toyota Avalon car, 2013 model. They scaled the gate and entered the house, where the victim rushed out to raise alarm. Timileyin started giving him machete cuts on the head.
After the operation, they drove off, switching off the car’s lights so that the victim would not see the direction they would go through. At almost 6 a.m., they picked up Imisi. Yemi asked for the phones with Temitope, saying that he wanted to get money from the bank account, but Temitope refused to give him.
Gang Leader and Other Suspects
The gang leader, Opeyemi, from Osogbo, aged, confessed to being a fashion designer before turning to armed robbery. He met Temitope through a man called Lukman, who introduced them to each other to form an armed robbery gang. Temitope told him that he used to repair gearboxes but would sell vehicles sent to him for repair.
Imisi, aged 40 and from Ilesa, who resided in Ibadan, narrated his involvement. He confirmed that he used vehicle documents renewed by VIO officials in Abuja.
Odewole Jide, aged 35 and from Ifewara, said he was the one who used to jam tracking devices in every vehicle. He added that debt made him join the gang and that he jumped out of the window on the second floor to escape arrest.
