Soldier, policeman, 38 others arrested for tanker hijacking, robbery

The Oyo State Police Command on Wednesday paraded a serving soldier and a  police inspector for allegedly hijacking fuel-laden trucks   on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Thirty eight other  suspects were also paraded for offences ranging  from armed robbery, kidnapping, stealing to cultism.
Addressing newsmen at the police headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, Mr Abiodun Odude, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, said the suspected hijackers often wore camouflage and police uniforms to carry out their operations.
“The alleged hijackers of fuel-laden trucks usually wore military camouflage and police uniform in their operations.
“They were nabbed by the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad of Oyo State during one of their operations on April 15 at about 8.am after they waylaid a fuel-laden DAF tanker with registration number  APC 937 XB on a bad portion at Shasha, near Ojoo, on Ibadan-Oyo Road.
“The suspected policeman would be recommended for dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force for professional misconduct,’’ he said.
Odude said both the soldier and the policeman confessed that they actually participated in the crime.
In another incident,  a suspect  allegedly conspired with others to abduct his  own father.
Odude said that the kidnapping of the suspect’s  father took place at Igboora in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area on May 17 at 6pm.
“ The suspect said he got a share of less than N1 million in the ransom collected although he confessed that his father never offended him,’’ he said.
He said that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation was completed.
Similarly, six suspects said to be  involved in the kidnapping of  popular Ibadan-based oil magnate and Chief Executive Officer of Bovas Oil and Gas Limited were also paraded.
Items recovered from the suspects included  firearms,  nine  vehicles, one motorcycle,  N1.2 million,  musical instruments, knife and phones.