Police in Ogun have arrested nine suspected members of a notorious land-grabbing syndicate for allegedly attacking the people of Agbogun village in Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects, Gbenga Odeniyi, Owolabi Shobayo, Michael Ramoni, Idowu Dauda, Femi Fadahunsi, Rasmus Hammed, Ade Lukman, Yakubu Akinwande and Sikiru Balogun were arrested on Sunday following a tip-off.
State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Oyeyemi explained that the Baale of the village had sent a distress call to policemen attached to Obada-Oko divisional headquarters on the incident.
PPRO said the village head told the police that the land grabbers who came from different areas of Ifo, Atan, Gasline and Sango-Ota have invaded the village.
The Baale was said to have lamented the hoodlums violent attack on the people, who he also accused of extorting money from those working on their sites.
The police spokesman said, “Upon the distress call, the DPO Obada-Oko division CSP Benard Ediagbonya mobilized his patrol team to the scene where they met the suspects attacking one Mrs Oniyide Folashade and one Mrs Agbogun who were developing their sites.
“On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels but they were chased and nine amongst them were apprehended.”
But he said the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, had ordered a massive manhunt for the fleeing other members of the gang.
“He also warned land grabbers to stay clear of the state as the Command under his watch will not tolerate any form of violence on the good people of the state from anyone or group no matter how highly placed such persons might be#,” PPRO said.