Ondo State police rearrested an armed robber awaiting trial, Kola Ogunbiyi, for committing a fresh robbery.
Mr. Ogunbiyi was apprehended after robbing an Ondo State police inspector of his vehicle at gunpoint in Akure.
The 35-year-old robber also robbed residents on the popular Mother and Child Hospital Road in the state.
The culprit was apprehended alongside Oluwafemi Ayodeji by operatives from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Akure.
Police sources told our correspondent that the duo were in a robbery gang that terrorized the people of Ondo and Ekiti states.
They were paraded alongside twelve robbery suspects before journalists at the police headquarters on Igbatoro Road in Akure on Monday afternoon.
Mr. Ogunbiyi, popularly called “Oloye,” had been committing crimes with his gang while awaiting trial in Ogbomoso.
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The Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, Femi Joseph, said that well-coordinated intelligence gathering operations led the police to Mr. Ogunbiyi and other criminals.
He explained that the arrests were part of an ongoing onslaught to tackle crime in the state.
According to him, the culprits were part of a five-man armed robbery gang who had been on the watchlist of the police.
“The hoodlums confessed to the crime during our police investigation, and one AK-47 rifle was recovered from them along with a red motorcycle.
“Now that the deviants have met their Waterloo, we shall charge them to court after all investigations have been concluded,” Mr. Joseph said.
He vowed that there would no longer be any hiding places for criminals in Ondo State.
During an interview with journalists, Mr. Ogunbiyi confessed to the crime for which he was rearrested, adding that he was tracked and arrested by the police.
He narrated that he and members of his gang had engaged in countless robbery operations in Ondo State, mostly in the state capital.
The culprit, who claimed to be a native of Emure Ekiti in Ekiti State, said he decided to join a robbery gang after he was contacted by gang members while in prison.
“For the past seven months now, I have been awaiting trial following a case of a stolen transformer cable in my area. It was while inside the prison that I was contacted and joined a notorious robbery gang.
“We have operated in many areas and forcefully snatched no fewer than four vehicles anytime we are embarking on an operation.
“The police arrested us in one of our last operations after we had unknowingly robbed a police officer of his vehicle and gun,” he said.
