The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a man suspected to be a supplier of logistics to bandits in the state.

This is as security agencies intensify efforts to dismantle criminal networks and their support structures.

According to the state Police Command, the arrest was made by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) after what it described as credible intelligence and sustained covert surveillance.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the operation forms part of ongoing efforts to implement the strategic policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, which emphasises intelligence-led crime fighting and the disruption of criminal enterprises.

“The suspect was apprehended in Ilorin and is believed to be linked to the movement and supply of materials destined for criminal groups operating in forested areas and remote locations across the state,” the police chief said.

She listed the items recovered from the suspect to include a large quantity of assorted cigarette brands and other food supplies believed to be part of a logistics chain used to sustain bandits and allied criminal elements.

Ejire-Adeyemi said that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly plays a strategic support role within a wider network responsible for providing sustenance and other forms of assistance to criminal groups.

The police spokesperson further stated that investigators recovered photographs from the suspect’s mobile phone showing him dressed in military camouflage and seated on a Bajaj motorcycle, a discovery that has strengthened intelligence leads regarding his suspected links to criminal elements.

She added that efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the network, stressing that the command remains committed to exposing and dismantling all structures that enable criminal activities in the state.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Adekimi Ojo, reassured residents that security operations are increasingly targeting not only armed criminals but also their collaborators, informants, suppliers and other enablers.

He emphasised that the command is determined to deny criminal groups the resources, mobility and support networks required to operate while sustaining pressure on anyone aiding criminality in any form. (Guardian)