The Oyo State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with a cattle rustling incident in Ado-Awaye, Iseyin Local Government Area of the state.
The arrest was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday in Ibadan by the state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade.
According to him, the suspects are Sekooni Wale, 30, the driver of a Mazda bus allegedly used in the operation, and Jimoh Toheeb, 25, the motor boy.
Ayanlade said further investigation later led operatives to Maya Town in the Lanlate area, where the principal suspect, Moshood Abdullahi, 38, was apprehended.
He added that Abdullahi, who reportedly came from Badagry, was identified as a notorious cattle rustler, and his arrest subsequently led to the apprehension of another accomplice, Macho Sindi, 29.
“The Oyo State Police Command recorded a major breakthrough in its sustained efforts to combat rural criminality and protect lives and property, with the successful recovery of rustled cattle and the arrest of four suspected cattle rustlers following a swift response to a distress report from the Ado-Awaye Division,” the statement read.
Ayanlade explained that the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, March 13, 2026, at about 2:00 a.m., when the police received a distress call from one Muhammad Ibrahim of the Igbojaye area.
The informant reported that armed hoodlums had invaded the camp of a cattle owner, identified simply as Yahaya, at the Iserin area via Ado-Awaye and made away with his cows.
Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer of the Ado-Awaye Division mobilised a joint team of police operatives and local security partners, including vigilantes, to the scene.
The coordinated response led to the interception of the suspects and the recovery of the rustled cattle.
According to the police, the suspects had already loaded two cows into a white Mazda bus with registration number KMA 178 ZY and were in the process of loading three others when the patrol team closed in on them.
“On sighting the approaching operatives, the hoodlums abandoned the vehicle loaded with the stolen cows and fled into the bush,” Ayanlade said.
He added that two cattle herders, identified as Ibrahim Musa and Ibrahim Umaru, were found at the scene tied together by the fleeing suspects.
The joint team subsequently launched a manhunt and intensive bush combing operation, which led to the arrest of Wale and Toheeb.
Ayanlade said the suspects later confessed to their involvement in the crime during interrogation.
The state Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, commended the gallantry and swift response of the operatives and local security partners whose intervention frustrated the criminal act and ensured the recovery of the stolen livestock.
He also praised the collaboration between the police and community stakeholders, describing it as vital to maintaining law and order across the state.
The command urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue to provide timely and credible information to security agencies to aid the fight against crime.
