The Oyo State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with a cattle rustling incident in Ado-Awaye.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday in Ibadan by the Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade.
According to the police, the suspects include Sekooni Wale, 30, who allegedly drove the Mazda bus used in the operation, and Jimoh Toheeb, 25, identified as the motor boy.
Ayanlade explained that further investigations later led officers to Maya Town, where the alleged principal suspect, Moshood Abdullahi, 38, was arrested. Abdullahi, said to be from Badagry, was described by the police as a notorious cattle rustler.
His arrest subsequently led to the apprehension of another suspected accomplice, Macho Sindi, 29.
Ayanlade said the arrests followed a distress call received by the police in the early hours of March 13, 2026. The report was made by Muhammad Ibrahim, who informed officers that armed men had invaded the cattle camp of one Yahaya at the Iserin area and stolen several cows.
The Divisional Police Officer at the Ado-Awaye Division immediately mobilised a joint team of police operatives and local security partners, including vigilantes, to respond to the incident.
On arrival at the scene, the team discovered that the suspects had already loaded two cows into a white Mazda bus with registration number KMA 178 ZY and were attempting to load three more when security operatives approached. On sighting the patrol team, the suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled into the bush.
Police also found two cattle herders, Ibrahim Musa and Ibrahim Umaru, who had been tied up by the fleeing suspects.
A coordinated search operation was immediately launched, leading to the arrest of Wale and Toheeb. Further investigations eventually led to the arrest of Abdullahi and Sindi in other locations.
The police said the suspects later confessed to their involvement in the crime during interrogation.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Femi Haruna, commended the swift response and bravery of the operatives and local security partners whose actions led to the recovery of the stolen cattle.
He also praised the cooperation between the police and community members, noting that such partnerships remain crucial in maintaining security across the state.
The command urged residents to remain vigilant and continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to help curb criminal activities.
In a related development, the police also disclosed that they recently foiled a highway robbery attempt along the Ogbomoso–Ilorin Expressway during a joint patrol with local vigilantes at Egbeda Village, leading to the arrest of a suspected armed robber.
