Three suspected herdsmen were, on Friday, arrested by operatives of the Ekiti State Police Command for allegedly barricading the highway and robbing commuters.

The bandits were alleged to have mounted roadblock along Usho Road in Ise Ekiti, Ise/Orun Council area of Ekiti State and robbed motorists with guns and other dangerous weapons.

The suspects are Usman Ibrahim, Ali Salisu and Sidikia Manbagri.

It was reliably gathered from residents of the town that five suspected herders started the highway raid around 10 am, where they terrorized the people and dispossessed them of their monies and other valuables.

Upon sighting the gun-wielding highway robbers, some members of the public had called the police emergency security lines, who rushed to the scene to arrest the men of the underworld.

A source said:

“Information reached the police at about 10.15 am that five herdsmen mounted roadblock along Usho Road in Ise Ekiti terrorizing the road users with dangerous weapons like daggers and cutlasses.

“A police patrol team swung into action and arrested two of them, Usman Ibrahim and Ali Salisu on the spot while the remaining three fled into the bush.

“Upon combing the bush for the fleeing suspects, another suspect, named Sidikia Manbagri, was arrested. Our men are still in the bush to find the remaining two suspects,” the police source said.

Confirming the arrest, the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti’ command, Mr Asuquo Amba, said,

“ Some men suspected to be herdsmen mounted a roadblock. We are still into it to find out why they behaved that way. We will brief the press on further development.”

Also speaking about the incident, the Chairman, Joint Security Committee of Emure, Ise and Ikere council areas, Elder Tunji Falana, applauded the police for their quick intervention which he said saved the situation.

Falana appealed for increase in the number of police personnel in the area.

He said:

“Ise has about 300 farmsteads and over 30 routes. The police need more men and vehicles. Prevention is better than cure. The police here are working under very difficult conditions with an abysmal police to civilian ratio of 1:7500”.