The Osun State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, has foiled an attempted armed robbery on a trailer transporting iron rods valued at approximately ₦50 million.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday along the Gbongan-Osogbo Road at Bisi Akande Trumpet bridge, Ayedaade local government area of the state.
According to a statement by the Osun Amotekun Public Relations Officer, Yusuf Idowu Abass in a statement on Tuesday, the trailer, which was carrying forty tons of iron rods from Shagamu to Osogbo, was reportedly trailed by an unidentified Toyota corolla vehicle from Ikire.
The statement also revealed that at around 1:00am, armed men attempted to intercept the truck.
“Upon reaching the Gbongan overhead bridge, the trailer driver was intercepted by four armed men who approached the moving truck, posing as task force officers and demanding a waybill from the driver.
“The driver, noticing their suspicious behaviour, quickly realised that something was amiss.
“The driver recounted the words of one of the armed men, saying, ‘Let us do what we want to do quickly before people start coming out.’ He was assaulted while holding the trailer’s steering wheel, as he refused to surrender the vehicle.
“During the struggle, his apprentice’s phone was forcibly taken, and several others attempted to wrest control of the wheel from him and collect his phone, the driver managed to push the armed men, causing them and the apprentice to fall into the nearby bush. Seizing the moment, he began shouting to draw the attention of people nearby and then fled into the bush. While hiding, he called his boss, who promptly informed the Corps Commander of the Osun Amotekun Corps, Chief Dr. Hon. Adekunle Isaac Omoyele.
“The Commander immediately alerted the Amotekun Command in Ayedaade Local Government, which responded swiftly, foiling the attack, rescuing the driver and his apprentice, and securing the 40 tons of iron rods valued at ₦50 Million.”
The Amotekun Corps through the statement also assured residents of the state that it remained steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property, while upholding a zero-tolerance stance on crime throughout the state.
