Four individuals have been apprehended for stealing iron rods from an ongoing prison project site in Ilesa, Osun State.
According to an anonymous security source, the suspects had successfully transported the stolen rods away from the construction site.
However, their vehicle was intercepted by members of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service during a patrol in Owode, Ede.
A video recording of the encounter between the suspects and their apprehenders shows one of them claiming to be the driver of the vehicle used in transporting the stolen items.
The other three suspects included the construction engineer and two artisans working on the project site.
One of the suspects, known as Kehinde, admitted to the theft, attributing it to difficult circumstances.
Osun’s NHFSS commander, Ahmed Nureni, confirmed the incident, stating that the interception occurred late in the evening on Thursday at Owode, Ede, along the Gbongan/Osogbo road.
He said, “They are construction workers at ongoing government sponsored project in Ilesa. They told us the project is a prison construction. They ordered for the items just few weeks back.
“And they conspired to steal the rods under the cover of the night and moved it in a mini truck. The vehicle was intercepted at Owode, Ede Junction late in the evening on Thursday. We handed the suspects to the police in A Division, Ede.”
When contacted, Osun Police Command Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, said the suspects were in police custody.
“It is true. They are in our custody and investigation is ongoing into the allegations against them,” Opalola concluded.
