The Oyo Police Command has apprehended two trans-border ammunition dealers who were linked to supplying criminals terrorizing communities acriss the state and neighbouring countries.
As gathered, the suspects, 35-year-old Isiaka Dare and 33-year-old Taiwo Ayodabo, both of Tede community, were apprehended at Budo Mosalasi, Saki.
Both suspects were nabbed as the law enforcement agency intensified crackdown on the proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition, a menace directly linked to violent crimes within the State and beyond.
Sources said that the Command Monitoring Unit, Saki Operation Base, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, executed a coordinated intelligence-led operation which led to the arrest of two suspected international gun runners.
The Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, who confirmed the arrest, directed that the suspects be charged in court upon the conclusion of a thorough and comprehensive investigation.
The CP, in a statement released by Olayinka Ayanlade, on Friday, disclosed that investigations revealed that the suspects operate across international terrain, trafficking ammunition illegally from the Republic of Benin into Nigeria through unauthorised border routes.
“Their criminal enterprise involves the clandestine importation and distribution of prohibited ammunition to unauthorised individuals within the country—arms and ammunition which may ultimately be deployed in the commission of armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.
“Corroborating this intelligence, operatives recovered 105 packets of pump-action cartridges concealed in four jerry cans/kegs, with each packet containing twenty-five (25) cartridges, amounting to a total of 2,625 cartridges.
“Two unregistered motorcycles believed to have been used for the illegal transportation and distribution of ammunition were equally recovered. The suspects have confessed to the crime and are currently assisting investigators in unravelling the wider transnational network and identifying other accomplices involved in the illicit trade.
He commended the professionalism and precision of the intelligence-led operation carried out by the Command Monitoring Unit, noting that proactive policing and actionable intelligence remain critical tools in dismantling organised criminal networks.
The Commissioner equally expressed appreciation to members of the public whose timely and credible information facilitated this breakthrough, emphasising that community partnership remains indispensable in the fight against violent crime.
He further reassured residents that the Oyo State Police Command will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the State does not serve as a haven for crime and criminality.
