The Ekiti State Police Command has apprehended Police Inspector Hillary Garcha, AP NO 272969, for allegedly supplying arms and ammunition to various robbery groups across the state.
Inspector Garcha, who was attached to the command’s Safer Highway Patrol in Ado-Ekiti, was arrested following an investigation that has led to the dismantling of multiple criminal gangs.
The breakthrough came after the arrest of Ponyi Nambe Boka, a 34-year-old robbery suspect. Superintendent of Police Oke Ila and his team apprehended Boka in connection with a robbery on June 2, 2024, in Oshodi Community, Ado-Ekiti.
The robbers, armed with sophisticated weapons, had injured 20-year-old Obiyomi Oluwatunmise. During Boka’s arrest, an AK-47 rifle and ammunition were recovered, and under interrogation, Boka implicated Inspector Garcha as their arms supplier.
Further investigations by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) led to a raid on Inspector Garcha’s house in the Irona area of Ado-Ekiti, where another AK-47 rifle and more ammunition were found.
Acting on additional information from the suspects, the police conducted raids on various locations, including the Wonder King Hotel and YGL Hotel, resulting in more arrests and the recovery of additional firearms.
The suspects arrested alongside Boka include Tinnam Timmel Moses, 31, and Ponpyal Domfas Yohanna, 38, who were detained at the Wonder King Hotel.
Subsequent raids led to the capture of Napkul Amos, aka Birdman, on June 7 in Ido-Ekiti, and several others at YGL Hotel on June 8, where firearms were recovered from a well on the premises.
The SITREP (Situation Report) detailed that all the arrested suspects confessed their involvement in the robbery gang and identified Inspector Garcha as their arms supplier.
These gangs were linked to numerous violent crimes, including the robbery and gunshot injury of Bukola Esan on January 5, 2024, and the murders of Adewumi Blessing on February 6, 2024, and Isijola Temitope Opeyemi on May 22, 2024.
The suspects were also implicated in multiple other robbery incidents and motorcycle thefts in Ado-Ekiti since January 2024.
The suspects are currently in custody, and further investigations are ongoing to unravel the full extent of the criminal network and ensure all those involved are brought to justice.