28 June, 2025
A major security operation by the Osun State Police Command has led to the arrest of four young men caught with a firearm and charms while travelling in a vehicle branded with the logo of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, disclosed that the suspects were intercepted on June 24 along the Osogbo-Ilesa Road in a Toyota Camry carrying a suspicious registration number tagged “PRESIDENCY NANS 27ZD.”
According to Gotan, “The vehicle was thoroughly searched and an English Beretta pistol with two empty magazines was discovered, carefully hidden in a box inside the vehicle, along with a cutlass and some criminal charms.”
The suspects, who claimed to be students, were identified as 25-year-old Adewale Kehinde, 22-year-old Adebayo Ayuba, 23-year-old Olasupo Abeeb, and 21-year-old Adeniyi Mustapha. They are currently being held in police custody as investigations continue.
In a separate operation, the police also apprehended two men for vandalising electrical equipment belonging to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). The suspects, Usman Abubakar (25) and Bashiru Garuba (26), were arrested during a stop-and-search exercise on June 21 along the Ile-Ife/Ibadan expressway in Osu, Osun State.
Gotan explained that officers recovered two large sacks filled with electrical cables suspected to have been stolen from IBEDC installations, alongside two saw blades used in the act. Seven motorcycles, including four unregistered ones, were also confiscated during the operation.
“These suspects have been terrorising the area under the guise of being scrap dealers. But the evidence points to a well-coordinated act of vandalism,” Gotan said.
He stressed that the Osun State Police Command will continue to intensify surveillance and routine checks to keep the state safe. “We have zero tolerance for crime and we will not give any room for criminality to thrive in Osun,” the Commissioner declared.
