THE Ogun State Police Command said it has arrested nine suspected members of a kidnap gang terrorising the Abeokuta-Ayetoro road in the Abeokuta-North Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the development on Monday.
Oyeyemi said the suspects were arrested in their hideout at Abule Oba, along Ayetoro road in Abeokuta.
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The PPRO, in a statement sent to The ICIR, added that the suspects were arrested after two okada riders, Hammed Taiwo and Kehinde Jimoh, who were their errand boys, were sighted in the Rounder area of Abeokuta-North Local Government.
According to Oyeyemi, the arrest of the suspects was based on credible intelligence gathered by police officers at Sabo/Ilupeju Divisional Headquarters.
He explained that the arrest was successful due to the collaboration between the police, local hunters, So Safe Corps, Oodua People Congress, vigilante outfits and Men of Amotekun Corps.
The police spokesperson added that some of the kidnappers’ victims had identified them as their abductors.
“The suspects: Hammed Taiwo, Kehinde Jimoh, Umar Sanda, Sanda Aliu, Ali Morandu, Usman Abubakar, Usman Mohammed, Umaru Ahmadu and Umaru Momodu, were arrested following a credible intelligence gathered by policemen at Sabo/Ilupeju Divisional Headquarters, that Hammed Taiwo and Kehinde Jimoh, who are errand okada riders to the kidnap syndicate, were sighted somewhere in the Rounder area of Abeokuta-North local government.
“Upon the information, the DPO Sabo/Ilupeju division, SP Mustapha Opawoye, quickly mobilised his men and moved to the area, where the duo of Hammed Taiwo and Kehinde Jimoh were apprehended.
“On interrogation, they confessed to being part of the syndicate, but their own role is to run errands and watch the environment to prevent law enforcement agents from getting to them unaware.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects are the group terrorising Abeokuta/Ayetoro road in recent times. Some of their victims have been able to identify them as their abductors,” Oyeyemi said in the statement.
He added that the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the anti-kidnapping section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for investigation.
A reporter with the ICIR
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