Police in Ondo arrest four persons for kidnapping

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested four persons for engaging in kidnapping in the Akoko area of the state in recent times.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Undie Adie, paraded the four persons identified as Abdullahi Sanni, 33; Mohammed Abdullahi, 36; Umoru Usman, 25; and Shehu Usman, 25 at the state police headquarters, Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital on Wednesday.

According to the Ondo police boss, the suspects were arrested at Aduwawa in Edo State, after a member of the gang, Ismail Wakili was arrested last week, adding that the suspects hail from Kogi, Niger, Sokoto and Kebbi states.

He said: “On April 2, 2019, one Prince Omoghae Igbegbon was attacked by unknown gunmen numbering six along the Akunnu Akoko/Auga Akoko Road in Ondo State. The hoodlums robbed him of the sum of N185,000 and also abducted him into the bush.

“The abductors demanded N30m as ransom for his release. On April 3, 2019, a team of policemen and members of a vigilante group trailed the kidnappers to their den at Ibilo, Edo State. After an exchange of gunfire, the kidnappers fled to unknown destinations.

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“The victim escaped to a community in Ibilo, where he narrated his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers. So, the police placed the community on red alert to watch out for any strange face. Thereafter, one Ismaila Wakili from Niger State, whom the victim later recognized as one of the kidnappers, was arrested and handed over to the police.

“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and mentioned other members of his gang. The suspect led a team of detectives to the hideout of the hoodlums at Aduwawa in Benin City, Edo State, where the four suspects were arrested.”

Adie, who said the suspects would soon appear in court, added that dangerous items recovered from the gang included one pump action, one double-barreled and two single-barreled guns.

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