Days after abduction, a suspected kidnapper identified as Ibrahim Muhammed on Wednesday at the Zone 2, Police command narrated how him alongside his gang kidnapped a policewoman and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and one Alhaji Oro.
Besides Ibrahim, other suspects were identified as Adamu Saliu (25) Abubakar Sodiq (24), Tambaye Muhammed (25), Adamu Sulaiman(36) and Akanni Musa(38).
According to Ibrahim, their first operation was initiated by one Muhammed Usman whose younger brother was helping a Civil Defence Corp Operatives to take care of his cows at Eggua area of Ogun State.
WITHIN NIGERIA learnt that Usman brought the idea that they should abduct the NSCDC official and collect ransom from his family.
Ibrahim said that was how they swung into action and kidnapped him on the fateful day he came to check on the cows at the farm. “He was abducted and they kept him in the forest for three days, we moved him from one forest to another within three days.
“Before he was released, we collected three million naira from his family members.”
Ibrahim said on the day they were taking the NSCDC official to a spot where his family members would meet him, they also kidnapped another victim one Alhaji Oro who was also coming to check his cows in another farm in Eggua area of Yewa and abducted him.
“After the Alhaji was kidnapped, we held him for four days and then demanded for ransom of N4million ransom from his family, despite the fact that the money was paid oqn time, we still killed the man and left the scene and trekked from Ogun State Forest for two weeks, before we ambushed another victim one Umaru at Awaiye village in Oyo State.
“Meanwhile, Umaru that we kidnapped was also coming to check his farm, when we ambushed him, we held him for two days and demanded N 1million for his release from his family members, we released him after the money was paid.”
Meanwhile, Muhammed said after they had release Umaru, while running away from the forest, they came across one Alhaji Adegoke, near Iseyin in Oyo State and he was also abducted and N 25milliom ransom was also demanded from his family members before they would release him.
“When we noticed he had escaped, we went into the forest shooting sporadically thinking that he was still within the forest, because, if he was to be there we would have killed him.
“It was poverty that made me join the gang when I was called upon to come kidnapped the NSCDC Operatives,” Mohammed said.
The detectives attached to the Zonal Monitoring Unit of the command also arrested a 38-year-old native doctor simply identified as Musa whom the police claimed was preparing charms for them before going on operation was also arrested by detectives attached to the Zonal Monitoring Unit of the Command.
While speaking with newsmen, Musa confessed that truly he is an herberlist, but he does not prepare charm for them.
Musa claimed that Adamu was his friend and he came visiting him at his house not knowing he has committed crime.
“Mohammed also used my phone to call Adamu, not knowing that Adamu had been arrested, that was how I was also picked. I was also given two cows stolen from the NSCDC official.”
While parading the suspects at the Zone 2, Command Headquarters, Onikan, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Ahmed Iliyasu said the suspects were arrested in line with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Much Adamu directives to mop up arms from criminals elements and gangs across country, with focus on community policing and strategy through intelligence led investigation led to the arrest of some criminals gangs and suphisticated arms and ammunition were recovered from them.
He said: “The suspects consist of three deadly kidnapping syndicates of young men, who have serial records of abduction and killings in South-West zone. They have kidnapped a policewoman, operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and collected ransom before setting them free.”
He further said receiving the information on the marauders, he directed the command Monitoring Tactical Unit to ensure that they track down the heineou criminals of which six of them who operated in three groups were nabbed.
It was during our investigation that we discovered that these criminals mounted roadblock on Ayetoro- Abeokuta road in Yewa area of Ogun State during which a woman inspector ran into them on May 4, and she was abducted, while a driver who was coming behind the policewomen was killed and other occupants of the car were kidnapped.
He, however, said the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.