A 24-year-old bricklayer, Adedapo Ayobami, of Ojaoba area of Osogbo, Osun State, has been arrested for allegedly breaking into the house of a herbal medicine trader, whose name has not been disclosed, and stealing electrical appliances and kitchen items.
According to reports, the suspect was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun State Command, during a routine patrol around Osunjera area.
In a statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Kehinde Adeleke, on Wednesday in Osogbo, the Commander, Osun State State Security Commission, Dr. Michael Adararewa, while giving further details on the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the suspect, said Ayobami in his confessional statement explained that before his death, the herbalist had given him spiritual soap to improve his (Ayobami’s) financial situation.
Ayobami also told investigators that the herbalist had told her he collected the holy soap every month, adding that she collected April's supply and returned to collect May's, only to be told the herbalist had passed away.
It further stated: “The suspect was arrested on the afternoon of Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Osunjera area of Osun State by operatives of the state Police Command who were patrolling the area.”
In his confession, the suspect stated that he was a herbalist before the owner of the house died and that he gifted the traditional soap to improve the owner’s financial condition.
“The herbalist apparently told him that he would collect traditional soap every month. He went to the herbalist's house to collect May's supply of soap, but when he got there he was told that the herbalist had passed away. He returned home disappointed.”
“The following day, Thursday 23 May, he went to the herbalist’s house to see where he had kept his keys before his death, opened the door and took away a plasma television, cooker, solar panels, light bulbs, two different cable decoders and other household items.
“The suspects revealed that they intended to sell the stolen items to unsuspecting members of the public.”
Adararewa said some residents in the neighbourhood where the crime occurred saw the suspect in possession of some of the stolen items but did not challenge him.
The governor urged citizens to be safety conscious, question any suspicious activity around them and report it to state security agencies, noting that suspects would be produced before court after investigations were completed.
The Osun State Police Command, on Wednesday, May 15, said its operatives had arrested and recovered four motorcycles from a suspected serial motorcycle robber, Wahab Sabri, in Ede.
