Men of the Kwara State Police Command have arrested five suspected kidnappers in Oro-Ago and Share communities in Ifelodun local government area of the State in separate operations.
The three suspected kidnappers arrested in Oro-Ago were said to have been involved in kidnapping incidences in Kogi, Ekiti and Kwara States.
Parading the suspects at the Police headquarters in Ilorin, on Wednesday, the State’s Police Commissioner, Paul Odama, said the suspects were responsible for the killing of an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) of Ekiti State command.
The suspects arrested in Oro-Ago were Babagida Buguda, 30,
Bashiru Yakuba, 35, and
Mohammed Umaru, 26.
Exhibits recovered from them included two locally made guns and two mobile telephones.
Odama said the forensic analysis of the phone by the investigators led to the arrest of the kingpin and two of his gang members in Oro-Ago on December 20, 2022.
“The suspects confessed during interrogation to have been responsible for kidnapping operations within Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara States respectively. One of their victims and his six-year-old son came from Ekiti State to identify and confirmed that they were kidnapped and held captive for six days by the suspects and were released after payment of N6 million. The suspects also confessed to have also killed one Inspector Segun Ayegbulu of the NSCDC attached to Ekiti Command,” he added.
On the other two suspects arrested in Share town, Odama said: “On 12/12/2022, intelligence available to the Command indicated that one Abubakar Mohammed ‘m’ 15-yrs-old has been kidnapped along Oke-Ode – Share Road, Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State. This prompted the Commissioner of Police to dispatch a team of State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) and conventional Police from Oke-Ode Division. Diligent investigation led to the arrest of one Garuba Abubakar ‘m’ a.k.a Elero of Lokongoma village and Abubakar Adam ‘m’ of Ile Nam Oke-Ode, Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State who are members of the kidnapping syndicate. They confessed to have been the collector of the N500,000 ransom paid by the victim.
“The leader of the gang, one Chairman Rabiu ‘m’ who is presently at large is said to be in possession of the gang’s firearm and always in custody of all ransom collected as confessed by two arrested suspects. Efforts is on top gear to get him arrested.”
The Police Commissioner added that all the suspects would soon be charged to court.
