Bororo bandits mount illegal checkpoints; 11 arrested in Oyo

No fewer than 11 bandits have been arrested and handed over to the police in the Saki and the Kajola areas of Oyo on Wednesday.

The state’s Western Nigeria Security Network, the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), and the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) made the arrests in two separate incidents.

While six bandits were arrested at Kajola local government area, five others were nabbed in Saki East local government area.

Amotekun Commandant Olayinka Olayanju confirmed the separate arrests in a statement on Thursday morning.

According to Olayanju, the arrests were made while on a joint routine patrol in the early hours of Thursday along two separate routes within the LGA.

“They were arrested in separate incidents following encounters at 2 illegally mounted road blocks.

“They tried to escape from the scene but were given hot pursuit by the operatives as they tried to evade arrest. We are still on the trail of others who managed to escape from the scene.

“The bandits namely Awali Atine, Ibrahim Abu, Shuaib Balau, Ibrahim Musa, Abdullah Masika and Umar Aliu Masika (all six arrested were of Bororo Fulani ethnic group).

“They were arrested along Okeho-Ilua and Okeho – Iseyin road at about 4am on Thursday, 29 April 2021.

“The bandits whose modus operandi is to pretend as herdsmen in the day and violently robbed innocent passengers on the highways at night were caught with 183 cows, weapons and a total sum of N268, 470.00.

“They have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Okeho Divisional HQ alongside the 183 herds, weapons and money found in their possession for further investigation.

“Those with necessary information that could help law enforcement agencies in their investigation are please enjoined to cooperate and report to the nearest police authority for proper investigation.

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“In another development, five bandits were equally arrested in Saki East and handed over to the DPO in the area.”

Fulani bandits have laid siege to the agrarian areas of the state for a while, and efforts to contain the level insecurity in the area have not been successful.