The police in Ogun on Monday arrested three men suspected to be members of a land grabbers syndicate terrorizing Gbayunre Village in Ado-Odo Local Government Area.
Abimbola Oyeyemi, spokesperson of the Ogun police command, confirmed this in a statement issued in Ota.
Oyeyemi explained that the suspects, Sunday Owoyele, 32, Idowu Ayobami, 32 and Kola Owolabi, 39, were arrested on April 4, following a petition received from the Dada Gbabi family of Gbayunre Village.
He said that the complainant had claimed that a group of land grabbers, led by one Joseph Ayodele, invaded the village with dangerous weapons and chased out the family from their landed property situated at Atan Ayunre area, and forcefully occupied the village.
Oyeyemi said that on the strength of the petition, the commissioner of police, directed the deputy commissioner in-charge of State Criminal Investigation Departments, Babakura Muhammed, to investigate the case and bring the culprits to book.
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“In compliance with the CP’s directive, his deputy detailed a team of detectives to the scene where three members of the syndicate were apprehended.
“Others, including their leader, Ayodele Joseph, who has been on the wanted list of the command in connection with a series of violent land grabbing cases in Ado-odo, Ota and its environs, took to their heels.
“One of the arrested suspects, Kola Owolabi, had once been arrested for snatching a rifle from an officer, but was overpowered then, and was subsequently charged to court and remanded in prison custody,” he recalled.
According to Oyeyemi, among items recovered from the suspects are assorted criminal charms and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.
The spokesman advised Ayodele Joseph, the leader of the violent gang, to report himself at the state Criminal Investigation Departments, Eleweran, Abeokuta “in his own interest”.
“If he fails to do so, he should be rest assured that he will be hunted for, and brought to justice.
“The command will not fold its arms while some unscrupulous elements are making life difficult for innocent members of the public,” he warned.
