The Oyo State Police Command on Friday, December 29, said it arrested two hundred and seven armed robbery suspects and recovered fifty stolen vehicles and forty-six motorcycles/tricycles since January till date.
The police also said one hundred and eight firearms and seven hundred and twenty-one rounds of various calibres of ammunition were also retrieved from the possession of criminals.
Speaking while parading suspected criminals at the Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, the spokesman of the Command, Adewale Osifeso said the Command adopted a holistic approach in tackling security challenges in the state.
He noted that the Command’s security architecture was enhanced to accommodate clampdown on criminal elements through the adoption of a strategic 4-Point Action Plan which includes purposeful inter-agency collaborations, enhanced community policing engagements, advanced intelligence-led Policing, and improved organisational competencies of officers through effective training and retraining.
He said despite gigantic land mass, exponential industrialization pace, and geometric population increase in the state, officers and men of the Command still stamped their feet on the ground to assert professionalism, strength, and courage in the fight against crime across the state.
Earlier, the Command in a way of raising security awareness ahead of the New Year celebration toured some parts of Ibadan.
The police convoy took off from the state police command in Eleyele and moved through the challenge en route to Lagos Ibadan Toll Gate, then back through Molete, Oke-Ado axis, Aleshinloye via G-Allen and terminated at the state command.
A chairman of one of the garages visited under Oyo Park Management System (PMS) at Challenge, Mr Mayowa Famuyide, told journalists that the relationship between PMS and the police has been cordial and impressive culminating in the improved security and safety of of commuters in and outside of Ibadan, the state capital.
Meanwhile, a statement by Osifeso said: “As we gradually bid 2023 farewell, the CP has ordered that all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Heads of Department/formations and Tactical Commanders deploy adequate personnel and resources throughout the length and breadth of Oyo State, particularly at all critical infrastructures, recreational facilities, Media Houses, Banks, Correctional centres, Public Spaces, Places of Worship and all adjoining highways and routes within and outside Oyo State.”
“Similarly, the CP has directed that all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and Tactical Commanders should increase layers of supervision around their subordinates particularly men on the field who daily interface with commuters and other civilian populations while the Command’s Monitoring and X-squad units have been tasked to deal decisively with any officer whose actions or inactions bring about embarrassment to the Command and by extension the Police Force through extortion, incivilities, and other professional misconducts.”
“In furtherance of the above, the Oyo State Police Command is pleased to inform residents that within the past five (5) months, it has recorded significant successes in reducing crime rates across the state. This was attained through a combination of intelligence-led operations, community engagements, and proactive policing.”
“The Commissioner of Police, however, assured residents to go about their lawful duties and also enjoy the Yuletide season without tolerating any form of fear.”
