At least, 13 suspected kidnappers have been arrested in connection with the death of an Ogbomoso-born and United State-based hotelier, Mr. Gbenga Owolabi; a final year student of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Rachel Opadele; Inspector of Police, and the kidnap of former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Adigun Agbaje and several others at Ogbomoso and along Lagos Ibadan Expressway respectively.
Three of the suspects were arrested in connection with the death of Owolabi and LAUTECH final year students while the rest were alleged to be responsible for the death of a police inspector and kidnap of former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan and several others along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.in October 2022.
Confirming their arrest at a press briefing at the State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan on Thursday, the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams through the Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso said the suspects were picked up at different locations in Oyo and Kwara states respectively.
He said the nemesis caught up with the suspected kidnappers of Ogbomoso born US based hotelier while trying to collect a ransom of N10.7m from the family of another victim.
He added that it was during the interrogation that they confessed to the kidnap and murder of Late Owolabi.
The police reports added, a cattle dealer of OGBOMOSO town while returning from his cattle ranch located at ADAFILA Village, via OGBOMOSO was intercepted at a desolate spot by some notorious kidnapping syndicate that has been terrorizing members of the public in OGBOMOSO and its neighboring towns.
The members of the dreaded kidnapping syndicate who were reportedly armed with AK-47 riffles, cutlasses, and some other dangerous weapons attacked the said Alhaji Waheed Hammed and later whisked him away into a thick forest where they contacted his relative and demanded One Hundred Million Naira (#100, 000, 000. 00k) ransom before he would be released.
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Sequel to this directive, operatives attached to the monitoring unit swung into action and in the process of combing the thick forest alongside local hunters and vigilantes, stumbled upon where the victim was held captive and rescued him unhurt.
The victim, during debrief, narrated his ordeal in the hands of his abductors and explained that while the kidnappers were negotiating his ransom, they claimed responsibility for the death of an Ogbomosho hotelier, Mr. Gbenga Owolabi (now deceased) and that he, (the abductee) would suffer a similar fate should his ransom payment process get thwarted by involving the Police.
In a related development, Police have paraded ten suspected kidnappers allegedly responsible for the death of a Police Inspector and the kidnap of the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, at the University of Ibadan, Professor Agbaje along Lagos-Ibadan expressway two months ago.
The police reports stated that ”on 28th October 2022 at about 1700hrs, some members of a dreaded kidnapping syndicate who were reportedly armed with AK-47 Riffles and some other sophisticated firearms attacked and kidnapped an Academic Don and Seven other persons who were traveling along the Ibadan end of the Lagos/Ibadan expressway.
”The dare-devil gunmen equally attacked a team of responding policemen while heeding the distress call in a bid to rescue trapped victims on the highway, this, in turn, led to the death of an Inspector of Police who paid the supreme price in a fierce gun duel.
”The kidnappers later whisked the victims away to an unknown destination through the thick forest along the said Ibadan/Lagos expressway while their relatives were contacted for monetary demands in exchange for their liberty.
”In one of the most coordinated reconnaissance operations in the history of the Command, all Command’s Operational, tactical, and Intelligence assets were collapsed and fused as one to attain the goal of immediate rescue of the abductees unhurt and the apprehension of their abductors for prosecution.
”Consequent upon the above, the Oyo State Police Command in a technological intelligence-aided operation aided and with necessary support from Amotekun (the Oyo State Security Network) and other communal partners, apprehended the suspects including both commercial motorcyclists and couriers for the Kidnap syndicate while retrieving “exchange money” for other members of the syndicate around Ojoo Area, Ibadan.”
”It was also discovered that monies received from the victims were moved into the bank accounts of these (3) three additional suspects for onward distribution to other members of the kidnapping syndicate.
”The Manhunt for other members of the criminal syndicate continues,” the statement said.
