Police recover goats from robbers, ask residents to claim ownership

File photo: Robbers arrested with goats in Osun

Osun State Police Command has asked the residents of the state to check the state command headquarters in Osogbo, the state capital, for their missing goats.

This followed the recovery of no fewer than 15 goats from two inter-state livestock robbers by the police operatives.

The police officers had, on Wednesday, May 10, arrested two men along the Odeomu-Sekona Road for allegedly stealing 15 goats in Osun State while making an attempt to move them to Lagos.

The suspects were Naheem Ibrahim, 46, and 33-year-old Suraju Isiaka.

The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, said the suspects were heading to Lagos in a Lexus Jeep with the stolen goats when they were intercepted by the police officers.

Opalola disclosed that the suspects in possession of 14 live and one dead goat, adding that they confessed to having stolen the goats from different locations in Osogbo, Ikirun, and Ila-Orangun with the intention to sell to one lya Bisola at the Mile-12 area of Lagos State.

“More so, the suspects confessed to having been operating in Osun State since 2019.

“The suspects stated further that their time of operation is between 8 pm to 10 pm before night guards at various locations report for duty. The suspects also affirmed that those stolen goats are usually sold for prices ranging from N5,000,” the police spokesperson noted.

However, Opalola, in a statement issued on Saturday, May 13, urged the residents of Osogbo, Ikirun, Obagun, Iree, Eripa, Otan-Ayegbaju and Ila — the communities where the goats were believed to have been stolen from — whose goats went missing between May 9 and 10, to report at the command headquarters in Osogbo with proof of ownership.

The statement read: “This is to inform the general public especially the residents of Osogbo, Ikirun, Obagun, Iree, Eripa, Otan-Ayegbaju and Ila; whose goats are missing between 9th and 10th May 2023 to report/come to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Police Command Headquarters, Osogbo for possible identification and collection.

“It could be recalled that, on 10/05/2023 at about 0310hrs, a police team from Safer Highway Patrol along the Odeomu-Sekona axis arrested two suspects in possession of 14 life and one dead she-goat, which upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to have stolen the goats from the aforementioned locations within the state.”

The Star