Osun Police Smash Robbery Syndicate, Recover Lexus Jeep, AK-47, Ammunition

The Osun State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate and recovered an AK-47 rifle, 13 rounds of live ammunition and a single-barrel firearm allegedly used in a robbery operation in the state.

The suspects were arrested following the theft of a newly acquired Lexus Jeep from a resident of Ada, Osun State, by armed men in the early hours of August 17, 2026.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the victim reported the incident to the police, prompting the Command’s Anti-Robbery Team to activate a tracking device installed in the stolen vehicle.

Ojelabi said the tracking operation led police operatives to a filling station in Ibadan, Oyo State, where two suspects, Johnson Friday, 30, and Augustine Godwin, 28, were arrested while allegedly refuelling the stolen Lexus.

The police spokesman said preliminary investigation showed that the suspects were allegedly taking the vehicle to a receiver in Idiroko when they were intercepted by the operatives.

He said the suspects, during interrogation, provided information that led to the arrest of two other alleged members of the syndicate, Augustine Godday, 18, and Semiu Ogunlowo, 20, at Esa-Oke in Osun State.

“Further investigation based on information provided by the suspects led operatives to Ila-Orangun, where an AK-47 rifle with 13 rounds of live ammunition and one single-barrel firearm, used in the operation, were recovered,” Ojelabi said.

The police said the firearms were concealed inside a sack and allegedly kept behind Godwin’s room, adding that another suspect, 29-year-old Olamide Afeez, was arrested for allegedly acting as an informant for the robbery gang.

According to the Command, Afeez was also a close friend of the complainant, a development that formed part of the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the robbery.

The Commissioner of Police (Election), Osun State Command, commended the Anti-Robbery Team for its “swift and professional response,” assuring residents that the police would continue to pursue criminal elements and ensure that those found culpable face the full weight of the law.

The Command said investigation was ongoing, particularly to apprehend the alleged receiver in Idiroko, while urging members of the public to remain vigilant and provide timely information capable of assisting the police in preventing and combating criminal activities.