Some suspected criminals in the Akure metropolis and other parts of Ondo State tried to attack government buildings with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), but the police stopped them.
Reports say that the suspects had planned out where to attack before sneaking into the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebowale Lawal, talked about the news at a press conference at the command’s state headquarters on Thursday. He said that operatives were sent to the area after getting the information.
Lawal said that the suspects were caught before they could carry out the planned attack. He also said that the operation led to the arrest of six suspects and the recovery of materials that were thought to be parts for making IEDs.
The police chief said that the suspects were Adekunle Prosper, 56, Ojo Olumide, 39, Tope Kolawole, 40, Ahmed Salihu, 40, Bolaji Adebowale, 46, and Gbadebo Abidemi, 43.
He said that a thorough search of the scene and a later operation at the suspects’ apartment led to the recovery of a large number of items, such as 217 bottles, a bag of sugar, criminal charms, 17 mobile phones, N187,000, two HP laptops, eight slings, one knife, an external hard drive, two identity cards, one National Identity Number (NIN) card, and two motorcycles, among other things.
“Early evaluations suggest that some of these materials were meant to be used to make bombs, while others may have been used to help plan and carry out criminal activities.
“Initial findings from the investigation indicate that the group was actively involved in assembling IEDs purportedly intended for use against government infrastructure, with evidence suggesting that their activities may extend beyond the state capital to other regions of the country.”
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