Construction workers in Osun are reportedly being arrested by the police for stealing iron rods.
The Osun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of four workers for theft of items at a construction site in Ilesa.
The suspects were apprehended for stealing iron rods from the ongoing prison project site in Ilesa, Osun State.
Yemisi Opalola, the spokesperson for the police command, stated that “the case of theft of construction items at a construction site in Ilesa has been reported to the police command. As I am talking to you, the suspects are in police custody.”
A security source, who requested anonymity, revealed that the suspects had successfully removed the iron rods from the site.
However, the vehicle used to transport the stolen items was intercepted by members of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) on patrol along Owode, Ede.
“The suspects arrested by the hunters included the vehicle’s driver, the construction engineer, and two artisans working on the project site,” he said.
One of the suspects, identified as Kehinde, admitted to committing the crime, citing difficult economic circumstances as their motivation for stealing the items.
The Osun NHFSS Commander, Ahmed Nureni, who confirmed the incident, noted that the suspects were arrested Thursday night at Owode, Ede, along the Gbongan/Osogbo road.
He added that the suspects were working on an ongoing government-sponsored project in Ilesa, which they claimed was a prison construction project.
They had ordered the stolen items just a few weeks before their arrest.
