The Nigerian Police said it had foiled an attempt to kidnap one of Nigeria’s oil magnate, Femi Otedola
This was revealed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, Don Awunah.
He stated that the task was accomplished by the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team, IRT, with the arrest of “a three man notorious kidnap gang on the 23rd June, 2016.”
According to Awunah, “the arrest was achieved through coordinated intelligence gathering and deployment of technical investigative tools that spanned several weeks.”
The FPRO stated: “The Principal suspect, one Ikechukwu Daniel, a 28 year old indigene of Imo State, who is the mastermind of the gang, was rusticated from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria due to his cult related activities on campus in 2009/2010.
“He also doubles as the IT guru of the kidnap gang with mastery of Computer applications. He made damning revelations of their criminal exploits in the South West of the Country.”
Awunah said that a serving officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, was also part of the three-man gang.
He is 29-year old Adeyemi Kayode, a native of Ojoo in Ibadan, Oyo State, who serves as a Personal Assistant to the Oyo State Commandant of the NSCDC.
“The suspect took undue advantage of his office to obtain the GSM number and location of their would-be victim.
“He hatched the plan on how to kidnap the business magnate to make a demand of one billion naira ransom,” the police spokesman stated.
He further stated that “the third suspect, Ayodele Temitayo, a native of Oyo in Ibadan, Oyo State who is the marksman and armourer of the gang, claimed to have been dismissed from 213 Battalion Maiduguri of Nigeria Army as a Private in 2015.”
Awunah pointed out that the suspects have made “confessional statements revealing that they had successfully carried out several high profile kidnappings and two AK47 rifles loaded with live ammunition were recovered from them.”
He said that efforts are being intensified to apprehend other members of the gang and extend investigation to their other criminal enterprise.
He also reiterated the IGP’s commitment and the entire Police Force to clamp down on all criminal activities across the country and bring them to justice.
“The IGP urges Nigerians to avail the Police with relevant information that will help in the crusade against crime; as such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality,” Awunah stated.