The Oyo state government on Tuesday demolished a residential property allegedly used by criminals as a hideout and an ammunition storage facility.
A statement by Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the chief press secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, said the demolition was part of the government’s effort to deal decisively with crime in the state.
Mr Olanrewaju said the demolished property, comprising a storey building and two bungalows within a fenced compound, is situated in the Gbenku community, Arubiewe Road, off Olodo Garage, in the Egbeda council area of Ibadan.
The demolition was led by the commissioner for public works and transport, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola; the police; the chairman of the Egbeda council, Sikiru Sanda; the ministry’s permanent secretary, Goke Adenrele; and other officials.
Mr Mogbonjubola stated that the government’s action followed the discovery of a cache of weapons in the building during an operational investigation by security operatives.
He noted that the demolition was also in line with Mr Makinde’s commitment to combat insecurity and curb criminal activities in the state.
Mr Mogbonjubola urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities in their communities to security agencies.
The commissioner advised landlords and property agents to regularly conduct thorough background checks and profile prospective tenants before letting out their properties.
On Monday, the police command in Oyo state said it recovered additional firearms, ammunition, vehicles and other exhibits, following the arrest of a suspected armed robber, Surajudeen Babatunde Adio, aka ‘Surii Ilupeju’, and four others.
The command had arrested the suspects in Gbeku on Saturday.
Exhibits, including one pump-action gun, one single-barrel cut-to-size gun, eight live cartridges, one native bulletproof vest, two bottles of suspected charm-induced syrup, assorted charms and other incriminating items, were recovered from Mr Adio’s residence.