The Ogun State command of the Nigeria Police says its men have arrested two members of a kidnap syndicate responsible for the abduction of a traditional chief, the Olori Ilu of Imope Ijebu, Tajudeen Omotayo, on 20th of March, 2021.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Edward Ajogun, on Wednesday at a press conference.
The two suspects: Nura Bello, 21; and Abubakar Bello Amodu, 26 (both males), have also confessed to a series of other kidnap cases in Ijebu area.
CP Ajogun also spoke of the arrest of three suspects who abducted two female students of Olabisi Onabanjo University in front of their hostel at Ayetoro on the 14th March, 2021.
The suspects, Babuga Abubakar, 40; Umaru Usman, and Mohammed Bello, on interrogation, confessed to a series of kidnap cases in Ayetoro, Olorunda and Imeko areas.
They admitted to the kidnap of a female doctor and a nurse at Olubo Village, along Abeokuta-Imeko road on the 7th of April, 2021, as well as one Yemi Ojedapo at Olodo village, who painfully, they had to kill because she recognized them.
The police commissioner said: “Babuga Abubakar is the informant to this syndicate and several other kidnap gangs. He supplies information on victims to the gang for ease of operation.
“On the kidnap of the two female students, Babuga explained that the students were not the actual targets, but a woman wholesale recharge card dealer in the area. He also stated that it was Muhammed Bello who invited his gang members for the kidnap of Yemi Ojedapo and masterminded her killing. The phone they used in calling for ransom was recovered from them as exhibit.”
The police boss also said the command arrested one Haruna Sanni, male, 28, for illegal possession of an AK-47 rifle.
The command had received information from a source on 8th April, 2021, that a member of a kidnap gang approached him to help purchase an AK-47 rifle, which he intended to use to form his own breakaway kidnap gang.
Undercover police operatives were detailed to monitor him. One of them pretended as the vendor and negotiated with the suspect to sell a rifle.
“They agreed on one million naira as the price for one AK-47 rifle. The suspect, there and then, paid a deposit of ₦200,000 to show his commitment, and promised to pay the balance later on the same day. He was promptly arrested.
“On interrogation, he confessed to being a member of a six-man kidnap gang, and that he decided to form his own gang because the gang leaders were fond of giving him peanuts at the end of their operations,” he police chief said.
He also disclosed that the command effected the arrest of two suspected armed robbers: Hassan Gbenga Sodiq, 20, and Qudus Rasaq, 20, who had invaded the shop of one Nonso Nwibo, a rice seller, and robbed him of ₦120,000 and his Techno handset at gun point.
Exhibits found in their possession include one locally made pistol, one live cartridge, one Itel phone and one Iphone.
The police commissioner appealed to residents of the state to know that security is everybody’s business, and promptly report crime to the police, and adhere strictly to the security tips provided by the command from time to time.