A kidnap syndicate made up of members of the same family has been apprehended by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command.
This was disclosed by the spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement on Friday.
Oyeyemi said the family members were nabbed following series of kidnap cases within Sagamu and its environ in the 2020.
The Command’s Commissioner, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, gave a marching order to the Area Commander and all the Divisional Police Officers in Sagamu to fish out those behind the dastardly act within the shortest possible period.
In compliance with the directive, the DPO, Sagamu Division, Chief Superintendent of Police Okiki Agunbiade, and his crack detectives with the support of Sagamu Security Council under the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Adewale Ajayi, embarked on intelligence and technical based investigation, which led to the arrest of one Oweniwe Okpara from Delta State and three of his children: Samson Okpara, Bright Okpara and Eze Okpara, as well as one Christian Ishaha, who accommodated them.
They were arrested in Ajaka area of Sagamu.
Their arrested followed for their roles in the kidnap of eight persons at different times in Sagamu and other areas.
In the course of investigation, it was discovered that three other members of the family constituting the criminal gang: Godwin Okpara, Godspower Okpara and Mathew Okpara, are the armed squad of the syndicate, while Samson, Bright and Eze Okpara were the ones spying on their targeted victims.
One Emmanuel Joseph, a native of Ebele in Edo State, was later recruited into the fold, having confronted their sister, Eze Okpara, to tell him the source of money they used to count everyday.
They subsequently opened up to him that they are into kidnap business and he also joined them.
Among the victims of the gang is one Okechukwu Onwubiko, who was kidnapped on June 4, 2019.
They also kidnapped one Omotayo Sobowale on June 16, 2020, while one Lamidi Akeem was abducted by the same gang on July 20, 2020.
On November 3, 2020, the gang kidnapped Areoye Olufunke.
On November 11, 2020, they abducted another person, Adijat Adeleye, while Ashaye Olayinka Tobi was kidnapped on November 12, 2020 by the dreaded gang.
Having heard about the arrest of their father and their three siblings, Godwin, Godspower and Mathew Okpara took to flight and ran to Delta State with their operational car and their arms, where they were subsequently apprehended by the Delta State Police Command after carrying out another kidnapping there.
Their camp, located at a forest in Ayepe-Ijebu, where their father used to farm before converting it, was located by policemen led by the DPO of Sagamu and subsequently destroyed.
Items recovered at the camp included three expended cartridges, cooking gas, tarpaulin, cooking utensils, women bags and twine.
Ajogun, who expressed satisfaction with the intelligence and painstaking investigation of the detectives, has reiterated the stand of the Command not to relent in accomplishing the onerous task of providing adequate security for the good people of Ogun State.
He therefore appealed for the cooperation of the general public in the area of giving useful information that will assist in eliminating criminals from the entire state.
It’s not funny at all. Let them face the music of their doings. Nothing more to say. An entire family has sown winds, let them reap whirlwinds. But let no one hear of their escape from cell etc. Whoever aids or abet that, him or herself will not escape God’s wrath or judgement.
An entire family. Nothing more to say than to thank God they were caught.