Police operatives in Oyo State have arrested seven suspects who allegedly hijacked and diverted 180 bundles of different clothing materials worth N25 million.
The spokesman for the state police command, Adewale Osifeso, confirmed the development at a news conference on Tuesday in Ibadan.
At least 23 other suspects were also paraded by the police for alleged kidnapping, defilement, armed robbery, job racketeering, and forgery of land documents.
Osifeso said the suspects linked with the diversion of goods were arrested by the command’s patrol team while on intelligence-based anti-crime patrol in Ogbomoso Town on October 16.
The team, according to him, received credible information that the suspects were sighted around the Ogbomoso axis with two vehicles loaded with some unidentified goods suspected to have been diverted from their owners.
The spokesman said: “Operatives attached to the Monitoring Unit immediately swung into action by tracking and eventually intercepted the syndicate in a convoy of a white Hiace Bus with Registration number AKD 360 YF.
“Another metallic silver colored Toyota Matrix car with Registration number KWL 125 CF was intercepted along Ogbomosho/Ilorin Expressway.
“In the process, five members of the criminal gang were arrested and100 bundles of different clothing materials were recovered from their two vehicles.
“The suspects have so far confessed that they diverted the goods.
“Their confession led to the arrest of two other suspected receivers who were in possession of additional 80 bundles of the diverted clothing materials, all valued at about N25 million.”
