The Oyo State Police Command has arrested six suspected armed robbers in Ibadan following a five-week intelligence-led operation that resulted in the recovery of five firearms, ammunition and other weapons allegedly linked to the gang.
The suspects were arrested at a hideout in the early hours of Saturday, October 10, 2026, at approximately 4:15 a.m., after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering by police operatives.
The Command announced the arrests in a press statement issued on Monday, October 12, 2026, and signed by its Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka.
The suspects were identified as Yusuf Adeyemi, 39, from the Esu Awele area of Ibadan; Isiaka Kayode, 40, from Odinjo; Yusuf Basiru, 35, from Oja Oba, behind the Central Mosque; Adewale Lawal, 38, from Orita Aperin; Saheed Lateef, 36, also from Orita Aperin; and Idowu Olanrewaju, 42, from the Olohunda area of Akanran.
According to the police, a search conducted during the operation led to the recovery of five firearms: a fabricated English-made pistol, a revolver pistol, a pump-action gun, a locally made cut-to-size gun and a locally made pistol.
The operatives also recovered five live cartridges and four cutlasses, which have been taken into custody as exhibits.
The Command said the arrests followed a sustained manhunt targeting the gang, whose members were allegedly involved in criminal activities that terrorised residents of Ibadan and neighbouring communities.
Police further stated that the suspects confessed during interrogation to being members of a criminal gang responsible for terrorising residents of the state capital and its environs.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the suspects’ alleged criminal activities and identify other individuals who may be connected to the gang.
The six suspects remain in police custody as detectives investigate their possible involvement in other armed robbery incidents across Oyo State.
Reacting to the arrests, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustained intelligence-led operations against armed robbery and other violent crimes.
Olugbenga commended members of the public for their cooperation with the police and urged residents to provide credible and actionable information that could help security operatives prevent and detect criminal activities.
The Command reiterated its commitment to working with residents and other stakeholders to dismantle criminal networks, protect lives and property, and maintain peace and security across the state.
