No fewer than 78 suspected members of the Oyo State Park Management System (PMS) have been arrested by the state Police Command over violence.
According to the Police, items recovered from the suspects during the arrest included guns, 724 live cartridges, 25 cutlasses, seven jack knives, 33 mobile phones, one laptop, charms, two vehicles and over N3 million cash.
On Monday, Governor Seyi Makinde, through his Chief of Staff, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi, announced the dissolution of PMS, headed by a former state chairman of the National Road Transport Union of Nigeria, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi (well known as Auxiliary).
While parading the suspects at the Police Command headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, the state capital, the Commissioner of Police, Williams Adebowale said the command foiled an attempt by the suspects at creating carnage and civil disturbance in the state following their dissolution.
He said: “On 30/05/2023 in a strategic intelligence coordinated raid around his location at Diamond Hotel, Alakia-Isebo, under Egbeda Local Government Area of the state, 78 suspected hoodlums, who had perfected plans to unleash mayhem in the early hours of today (yesterday) at major parts of the metropolis were arrested in possession of sophisticated firearms.
“During the raid, sophisticated firearms were recovered inside the hotel rooms and in the trunk compartment of parked vehicles within the hotel”.
He noted that although Auxiliary was able to escape with some of his boys during the gun battle with the Police, a member of the group was neutralised.
Adebowale said that the same group was alleged to be responsible for the attack on 14 members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, along Agodi axis in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of the state en route to the venue of Monday’s inaugural celebration.
“In line with standard operational procedure, all recovered items were properly documented, packaged and recorded for onward forensic analysis and for evidence purposes in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and all other relevant laws”, he said.
He urged residents of the state to cooperate with the police through useful information to help apprehend the sacked PMS leader.
