Four suspected internet fraudsters popularly known as Yahoo Boys, have been arrested by the police for allegedly kidnapping their colleague over sharing of proceeds from their fraud business at Orile Imo village in Obafemi Owode local government area of Ogun State.
The state police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who made this known in a statement said the suspects identified as Agbe Simeon, Messiah Nicky, Oladapo Dolapo and Yetunde Shonola, were arrested following information received by the Police at Owode Egba divisional headquarters, that one Haruna Usman, who had been abducted since Thursday, 22nd of December 2022, is being held hostage somewhere in Orile Imo.
The statement in part reads, “Upon the information, the DPO Owode Egba division, CSP Popoola Olasunkanmi, quickly mobilized his men and stormed the area, where four amongst the abductors were apprehended while two others escaped.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim and the suspects belong to an internet fraudster syndicate, and that they recently swindled somebody whose identity is not yet known of sum of twenty six million, four hundred and thirty seven thousand, nine hundred and fifty naira (#26,437,950), but the victim only gave the sum of #2,200 to his other colleagues, claiming that the money has not been paid completely by their client.
“This infuriated his colleagues who then lured him to an herbalist home at Orile Imo and held him hostage there since Thursday, 22nd of December 2022, with threat to kill him there if he refused to give them their complete share .
“But while they were there, information got to the police who moved in, rescued the victim and apprehended four amongst the abductors, while others escaped.”
Oyeyemi added that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has directed that the suspects be transferred to Anti kidnapping unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.