Ekiti Police Arrest Five, Recover G¥ns Ahead of Governorship Election
Ekiti Police Arrest Five, Recover Guns Ahead of Governorship Election
The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested five suspected criminals and recovered firearms, ammunition and other items in a series of intelligence-led operations aimed at ensuring a peaceful atmosphere ahead of the June 20 governorship election in the state.
The command said the operations, carried out by its Violent Crime Response Unit between June 8 and June 9 around the Aramoko and Erijiyan-Ekiti axis, led to the arrest of four suspects identified as Oyebanji Seun, Ajibade Simeon, Ige Dada and Adeoye Rasak.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sunday Abutu, the suspects were apprehended at different criminal hideouts following intelligence reports.
He disclosed that a thorough search of the premises resulted in the recovery of nine unlicensed locally-made barrel guns and 24 live cartridges.
Abutu said, “As part of the mop-up operations towards ensuring a peaceful and safe atmosphere before, during and after the forthcoming June 20 gubernatorial election, the Command, through its Violent Crime Response Unit, embarked on intelligence-led raids of some criminal hideouts.”
In a separate operation, operatives attached to the Emure Divisional Police Headquarters, in collaboration with personnel of the Nigeria Forest Security Service and Agro Marshals, arrested another suspect following a gun battle with armed hoodlums at Okesiri Farm Settlement in Emure-Ekiti.
The police spokesperson explained that the operatives had received a distress call on June 10 about a shooting incident involving unknown gunmen in the area.
He said that upon arriving at the scene, the hoodlums opened fire on the security team, leading to an exchange of gunfire.
During the operation, one of the suspects, identified
