BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun Police Command said it has arrested one Akintunde Joy, 22, an ex-convict, who had allegedly been breaking into shops in Ede town and stealing from shop owners.
A statement by its spokesperson, Superintendent of Police, Yemisi Opalola, said the suspect was arrested after one Akinkunmi Oyekola, a cellphones shop owner in Ede reported that his shop was severely robbed.
“A case of conspiracy, armed robbery, burglary and stealing was reported at ‘A’ Divisional Police Headquarters, Ede.
“Preliminary investigation was carried out before it was transferred to the anti-vice intelligence squad on July 26.
“The complainant, one Akinkumi Oyekola reported that since March, 2022, his shop had been repeatedly broken into and items worth millions of naira carted away,” she said
Opalola said police investigation however led to the arrest of the suspect who claimed to be a student in one of the higher institutions in the state.
The police spokesperson added that when the suspect was arrested, one of the iphones stolen from the store of the complainant was recovered from him.
Opalola said investigation revealed that the suspect is an ex-convict who was convicted in 2018 and imprisoned at the Ile-Ife Correctional Centre before he was released after serving a one year jail term.
She said the suspect, however, continued with his nefarious acts after his release and that in the course of interrogation, he confessed to being responsible for the alleged crimes he was arrested for.
“He confessed that himself and others at large, sometime in March, broke into the shop of the complainant, located at no. 4, Polytechnic Road, Ede, at midnight and carted away different types of cell phones valued N3.8 million.
“He said on April 27 again, they robbed the same shop again, where they tied the night guard and went away with mobile phones worth N29 million,” she said.
Opalola said the suspect and his accomplices again, on May 29, robbed Oyekola’s shop for the third time and stole mobile phones valued at about N1.2million.
She said in addition to robbing Oyekola’s shop multiple times, the suspect also confessed to robbing about nine other stores in Ede.
Opalola stated that the exhibits recovered from him had been identified by their respective owners.
Opalola said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.
