Oyo State Police Command under the able leadership of the State Commissioner of Police, CP. Adebowale Williams has on Thursday paraded three Point of Sale (POS) operators alongside seven other suspected kidnappers terrorizing Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.
The POS operators and other suspected kidnappers are 20-year old Mohammed,Muhammed Bello, 28; Usman Hassan, also known as Yellow, Babangida Buhari Awalu, 34; Kabiru Aliyu also known as Dangata, 25; Mikailu Yahaya, aged 25; Muhammadu Umoru, 30; Ayanwola Samson Gbenga (POS Operator) aged 22; Adewuyi Adewumi Sunday(POS Operator), aged 34; Rafiu Abdul Majeed (POS Operator) aged 40.
The suspects were paraded alongside with other suspects at the state Police Command Headquaters Eleyele Ibadan, the Capital City of Oyo state.
The sum of N7.5million,four AK-47 Rifles, 75 AK-47 live ammunition, two pairs of military camouflage and one mobile police beret were recovered from them.
The state commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams,told journalists that on 28th October, 2022 at about 1700hrs, some members of a dreaded kidnapping syndicate who were reportedly armed with AK-47 Riffles and some other sophisticated firearms attacked and kidnapped an academic don and seven other persons who were traveling along the Ibadan end of the Lagos/Ibadan expressway.
According to him,the gunmen also attacked a team of responding policemen while heeding the distress call in a bid to rescue trapped victims on the highway, this in turn led to the death of an Inspector of Police who paid the supreme price in a fierce gun duel.
The kidnappers later whisked the victims away to an unknown destination through the thick forest along the said Ibadan/Lagos expressway while their relatives were contacted for monetary demands in exchange for their liberty.
In one of the most coordinated reconnaissance operations in the history of the Command, all Command’s Operational, tactical and Intelligence assets were collapsed and fused as one to attain the goal of immediate rescue of the abductees unhurt and the apprehension of their abductors for prosecution.
He said,the command in a technological intelligence-aided operation aided and with necessary support from Amotekun (the Oyo State Security Network) and other communal partners, apprehended the duo of Babangida Buhari Awalu and Kabiru Aliyu both commercial motorcyclists and couriers for the kidnap syndicate while retrieving “exchange money” for other members of the syndicate around Ojoo Area, Ibadan.
He added that further detailed and painstaking investigations led to the arrest of five members of the criminal gang who identified themselves as Mohammadu Salfa ‘M’, Usman Hassan A.K.A Yellow Putel, Muhammadu Bello ‘M’ and Mikailu Yahaya ‘M’ alongside the cash sum of (N7,500,000) Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira which was part of recovered monies from the abductors.
Further escalated findings led to the arrest of (3) three additional suspects who gave their names as Adewuyi Adewumi Sunday, Atanwola Samson Gbenga, and Rafiu Abdulmajeed AYANWOLA from GBUGBU area of Kwara State and AGO-ARE in Oyo State respectively.
He said it was also discovered that monies received from the victims were moved into the bank accounts of the three additional suspects for onward distribution to other members of the kidnapping syndicate.
The three additional suspects, Adewuyi Adewumi Sunday, Ayanwola Samson Gbenga, and Rafiu Abdulmajeed have all since voluntarily confessed to their complicity in the criminal activity and also confirmed that the transactions were made into their Bank accounts through Point of Sales terminals at choice locations to evade arrest,he said
The manhunt for other members of the criminal syndicate continues as further development will be communicated accordingly,Adebowale said.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects are Four (4) AK-47 Rifles, Seventy five (75) AK-47 live ammunition, two pairs of military camouflage and one mobile police beret.