Oyo Police Arrest Two Over Alleged Diversion of ₦32m Guinea Corn Consignment

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested two suspected members of a goods diversion syndicate and recovered a truckload of guinea corn valued at ₦32 million in Oyo Town.

The Command disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, noting that the operation was carried out by operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, Oyo Operational Base.

According to the statement, the operatives acted on credible intelligence and stormed the hideout of the suspects in the Irepo area of Oyo Town, leading to the arrest of Olawale Kareem, 40, and Ogunbiyi Monday, 46.

The police said the operation also led to the recovery of an IVECO truck/trailer with registration number MUS 809 XY (Lagos), loaded with 570 bags of guinea corn allegedly diverted while being transported from Kaduna State.

“The recovered consignment is valued at approximately Thirty-Two Million Naira (₦32,000,000.00),” the statement said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were allegedly part of a syndicate involved in the diversion and unlawful conversion of goods in transit for financial gain.

The police added that the suspects had confessed to their roles in the crime, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate and recover additional diverted goods linked to the operation.

Commending the operatives for their professionalism, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives, property, and commercial activities across the state.

He warned individuals involved in economic sabotage and other criminal acts to desist or face the full weight of the law.