The Department of State Services, DSS, on Monday paraded two suspects allegedly involved in the abduction of former secretary to the government of the federation, Olu Falae, from his farm in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The suspects, Abdullahi Usman and Babawuro Kato, according to the DSS, were arrested in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State.

Usman, otherwise known as Kadir, said his role was limited to providing information on a prominent individual to be kidnapped for ransom, as he was approached by friends, including one Datijo, at a wedding ceremony before the last Eid El-Kabir.

“I then told him that I know one man who used to bring a Hilux vehicle to his farm and I used to see him as I move my cows about”, Usman told journalists.

With this information, the gang abducted Falae on Monday, September 21 and took him to Owo where he was kept at a place called “Pipeline.”

They demanded for N100 million ransom but were eventually paid N5 million, which Usman said Datijo ran away with.

On his part, Kato said that he was not part of the group and was only contracted to transport Falae and one of the abductors on a motorcycle in the night.

Speaking for the DSS, Abdullahi Garba said the abduction was a criminal activity not related to ethnicity or Falae’s status.

“The service wishes to state that the abductors were mere criminals. Investigations have further revealed that their action was not targeted at Falae as a statesman and prominent Yoruba leader,” he explained, adding that the incident should not prevent people from peacefully coexisting.

“To this effect, the Service wishes to appeal to all Nigerians to be law abiding and responsible in their commentary on sensitive issues affecting national security,” Garba stated.

He said further that the agency would “deal decisively with anybody, no matter how highly placed, in accordance with the law as long as such a person (s) failed to be a respecter of law or peacefully coexist among the good citizens of this great country.”

The DSS added that it was doing everything possible to arrest other members of the gang.