Notorious kidnap group arrested by Ogun police

One fleeing suspects, Usman Aliyu has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command in search of the escape members, and aggressive bush combing following the arrest of two other members of the notorious kidnap group at Onigbedu forest in Ewekoro Local Council of Ogun State.

The suspect was arrested on December 14, 2022, following information received by policemen at Ewekoro divisional headquarters that the suspect was sighted taking a commercial motorcycle at Onigbedu area, moving towards Papalanto en route Lagos, according to the police.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ewekoro division, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Sunday Opebiyi, upon the information quickly mobilised his men on stop and search along that road and the suspect was subsequently identified and promptly arrested.

“On interrogation, he confessed to being a member of the kidnap gang, whose two members were earlier arrested and a victim rescued from them.

“He informed the police that they were six in number, and that when two among them were apprehended, the other members ran into different directions in the forest.

“He confessed that it was their gang that was responsible for the kidnap of one Owolabi Abiodun and one Fakorede Kazeem at Kipe village, Idi ori Abeokuta on October 7, 2022, but Fakorede Kazeem was killed by the gang because he was unable to walk fast while they were being taken away in the bush,” the police said.

The suspect said the gang also kidnapped the duo of 10-year-old Adekunle Esther and 15-year-old Adekunle Adebayo at Olomowewe Street, rounder, Abeokuta on October 10, 2022.

Also, on October 19, 2022,the gang kidnapped one Mrs Famurewa at Abule Ijaye Soyooye, Abeokuta ,at the entrance of their house after killing her 65-year-old husband, one Festus Famurewa and later released the wife after collecting ransom.

November 16, 2022, the duo of Olatunji Azeez and Osoba Moroof were kidnapped by the same gang at Olujobi town Itori but were later set free after collecting ransom.

All the victims of this kidnapping gang have come forward to identify the suspects as those who abducted them. The state’s Commissioner of Police (CP), Lanre Bankole,praised members of the public for supporting the police by giving them necessary information has given assurance that other members of the gang will be fished out wherever they might be, as the Command will make the state unconducive for them to operate.