Amotekun Corps, the southwest security outfit, foiled robbery attack on vehicles on the Akure-Ilesa Expressway on Friday and recovered a vehicle loaded with engine oil.
Commander of the corps in Osun, retired Brig-Gen. Bashir Adewinmbi, told newsmen in Osogbo on Saturday that the robbers attacked vehicles at Ileki/Osu axis of the Ilesha-Akure Road for close to an hour.
He said a motorist who escaped the robbers’ ambush alerted an Amotekun patrol team at about 11.46 p.m. and the latter chased the robbers away.
“The robbers ambushed vehicles and were shooting into the air, forcing drivers to park, abandon their vehicles and run into bushes for safety.
“When the robbers, however, saw that Amotekun patrol team was coming for them, they fled the scene after operating on the road for almost an hour,’’ he said
Adewinmbi added that after the robbers fled, a truck loaded with diesel and petrol but abandoned by its driver, was recovered and taken to the Amotekun office in Osogbo.
He said through the waybills found in the recovered truck, contact was made with the owner of the goods and the driver and his assistant who ran into the bush were reached.
He said the driver explained that they were travelling from Lagos and heading to Abuja through Lokoja when they were ambushed.
Adewinmbi said the vehicle, with the goods intact, were released to the driver on Saturday in Osogbo in the presence of police operatives from Ayeso Police Station, Ilesha, which covers the jurisdiction of the incident.
He said police commended the Amotekun team for its efforts and sought for more collaboration to tackle rising highway robberies, especially along the Owena-Ile-Ife Expressway in Osun.
Adewinmbi cautioned motorists, especially those conveying expensive goods or items against night journeys.
He stressed that if they must move in the night, they should be wary about the routes they plied.