Suspected kidnappers of Chief Imam’s son, others nabbed

The police in Ogun State have arrested four suspected members of a gang that kidnapped three persons on Eid-el-Kabir (Sallah) day.

The victims included the son of a Chief Imam.

It was gathered that the suspects were nabbed yesterday by operatives of the command’s anti-kidnapping unit at Ijebu Waterside.

Their victims, identified as Adamson Bamidele, Adam Jelili and Sanni Azeez, who were kidnapped on August 11, were rescued five days later inside the creek where they were taken to.

One of the suspects was arrested that day.

Confirming the arrest of the four suspects, police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said Commissioner Bashir Makama ordered the squad to arrest the fleeing suspects.

“The operation to rescue the victims was led by the police commissioner. The command’s helicopters and other intelligence arsenals were deployed to survey the creeks and smoke the suspects out of their hideout.

“They were forced to release their captives when they could not withstand the attack anymore. The command did not stop at reuniting the victims with their families, as the anti-kidnapping unit was deployed to fish out other members of the gang.

“They have been transferred to the command’s headquarters for further action. This is a warning to other criminals that there is no hiding place for them in Ogun State,” he said.

The police also arrested two suspects, Lekan Odusote, 27, and Monday John, 22, for allegedly killing a motorcyclist in Ijebu-Ode on Tuesday.

The suspects were said to have killed the unidentified motorcyclist before stealing his motorcycle, which they sold for N120,000 at Ijebu-Igbo.

It was learnt that the suspects lured their victim to Ikangba at Obalende in Ijebu-Ode where they killed him, took his body to an uncompleted building, dug a shallow grave and buried him there.

Trouble, however, started following their disagreement over the sharing formula, which caused an argument.

National Daily gathered that as they threw tantrums, some of the words they used made people around to be suspicious and the police were alerted.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Obalende was said to have dispatched his men to the scene upon receipt of the information and the suspects were arrested.

“They confessed to have lured the motorcyclist to an isolated place, killed him and took his motorcycle, which they sold.

“The suspects have taken the police to the uncompleted building where the victim was buried and the body has been exhumed and taken to the mortuary.

“The commissioner of police has ordered the transfer of the suspects to Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for further investigation and prosecution,” said Oyeyemi.