Police in Oyo State have intercepted a cattle-rustling operation in Ado-Awaye, Iseyin Local Government Area, recovering stolen livestock and arresting four suspected members of the syndicate.

Spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the breakthrough followed a distress call from a resident, Muhammad Ibrahim of the Igbojaye area, who reported that armed men had attacked a cattle camp belonging to one Yahaya at Iserin, near Ado-Awaye, and driven away several cows.

Responding to the alert, the Divisional Police Officer in Ado-Awaye reportedly mobilised a combined team of police operatives and local security volunteers, including vigilantes, to the scene. The joint team tracked the suspects and intercepted them as they attempted to move the stolen animals out of the area.

According to the command, the suspects had already loaded two cows into a white Mazda bus with registration number KMA 178 ZY and were preparing to load three more when they sighted the approaching patrol team. The rustlers allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled into the surrounding bush.

At the scene, officers discovered two cattle herders, Ibrahim Musa and Ibrahim Umaru, who had been tied up and left by the fleeing gang. The security team immediately launched a coordinated search of the area, which led to the arrest of the bus driver, 30-year-old Sekooni Wale, and his motor boy, 25-year-old Jimoh Toheeb.

Further investigation took the police to Maya town in the Lanlate axis, where operatives arrested the alleged ringleader, 38-year-old Moshood Abdullahi, said to have come from Badagry and identified as a notorious cattle rustler. His arrest reportedly led to the capture of another suspected accomplice, 29-year-old Macho Sindi.

Ayanlade said all four suspects confessed to their roles in the operation during interrogation, and the rustled cattle were recovered.

State Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, commended the swift response and courage of the officers and local vigilantes, noting that their prompt action prevented the loss of valuable livestock and reassured rural communities of police presence.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to share timely, credible information with security agencies, stressing that collaboration between law enforcement and local stakeholders is crucial to tackling rural banditry, highway crime and other threats across Oyo State.