Juliana Francis
There was jubilation among residents of Oke Ejigbo in Ogun State following the discovery that two men in the community identified as Kolawole Shobowale and Moruf Soyoye, may be behind the mysterious breaking and entering of shops and the carting away of food items.
According to the Police, the breaking and entry had been going on for months without anyone having a clue as to those behind it.
The mystery behind the missing items has been put to rest following the arrest of the two members of the community.
The arrest of the men caused Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command and SOSAFE Corps in the state to carry out a search of their apartment, revealing different foodstuffs and household items which many residents had been wondering and pondering how they developed wings and disappeared.
Since the arrest of the suspects, residents had been dashing to the police station to identify items stolen from their shops and homes.
Some of the items recovered from the suspects are Live Turkey, plasma TV, two speakers, socket extension, three remote control, two hand saws, a litre of vegetable oil, two kegs of 5-litre palm oil, 25-litre of vegetable oil, half bag of rice, schoolbag containing clothes, two standing fans, one GOTV decoder, three mouth spanner, one pack of Olive toothpaste, three Oral B toothpaste, Bags containing used provisions and one big pack of Sunlight detergent.
Other items are 21 pieces of new clothes in a sack, 67 pieces of clothes inside a sack, 17 pieces of new clothes inside a sack, 13 pieces of new clothes in a travelling bag, five sachets of macaroni and raw beans, four sachets of Indomie, two hammers and one screwdriver, Power bank, one bucket containing assorted provisions and insecticide, one bucket containing assorted soaps, one speaker, one woofer music engine, one Samsung DVD, one LG DVD, one electronic cooker, one Infinix phone, one Techno Spark phone and one Infinix Hot Phone with two small Itel batteries.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Omolola Odutola explained that before the arrests of the suspects, there had been several complaints from residents to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Oke Itokun Division, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Hadiza Abu Oganyi, about the incessant breaking and entry into shops and homes.
Odutola said: “There have been repeated complaints, but nobody has a clue as to the masterminds behind the crimes. This situation has continued at the Oke Ejigbo community until today, 20th August 2023 when there was an intelligence report exchanged by Commander Lawal Mudashiru of SOSAFE Corps, leading to the arrest of Kolawole Shobowale and Moruf Soyoye. They were apprehended at Oke Ejigbo at about 6:30 am.
“The suspects confessed to the crime of breaking and entry. They were sighted by the SOSAFE Corps Commander. One was seen moving with blood stains on his legs while carrying a live Turkey. The SOSAFE team trailed them to their houses and cordoned off the house, leading to the arrest. Many other items were found in their house and these items are believed to have been looted from people’s homes.”
The PPRO further said: “Members of the community have continued to throng the Oke Itokun Division to identify some of their items that had been stolen months back without any clue as to who might have stolen them. These suspects are above 18 years and will be charged to court.”
