By Nicholas Ojo
A 19-year-old suspected leader of a kidnap syndicate, identified as Muinah Mohammed has been arrested in Uso community in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
It was learnt that Mohammed was arrested in connection with the abduction of the Chief Imam of the community, Alhaji Ibrahim Bodunde Oyinlade.
Oyinlade was reportedly kidnapped last month on his farmland located at Asolo camp in Uso by armed men brandishing various dangerous weapons.
It was gathered that the 67-year-old, Oyinlade, was later freed twenty-four hours after his abduction by the gunmen following the alleged payment of two million naira as ransom and negotiation for his release.
However, Mohammed was nabbed by the police alongside two other alleged accomplices, identified as Aisha Bello, 20 and Isah Bello, 40 over the kidnapping of the Chief Imam.
The Ondo State capital, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya while parading the suspect on Tuesday in Akure, said the suspects were nabbed after the wife of the kidnap victim, Mrs Bodunde, came to report the incident to the police.
She explained that the victim’s wife had complained to the police that her husband (the chief imam) went to his farm and had not returned at the time of reporting his unknown whereabouts to the police.
“Unfortunately, when they did not see him (Chief Imam), they sent two persons to the farm to look for him. When they got to the farm, they saw his car and his mobile phone but could not see him.
“Immediately, the case was reported to us, our officers swung into action and at the end of the day, the man was released but through our intelligence team we were able to arrest these suspects.”
She further explained that the mobile phone, used in the negotiation of the ransom collected from the family of the victim, was found in the possession of the suspects. Adding that, the suspects would soon be charged to court after the end of the police investigation.
Leave a Reply