By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
A three-man gang of kidnappers, said to be members of a notorious gang operating in the border areas of Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states have been arrested by the Kwara State Police Command.
Two others, whose operational zone is the Kwara State hinterland, particularly along Oke Ode-Igbaja road in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State were paraded by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Paul Odama, in Ilorin, the state capital.
The inter-state kidnappers included: one Babangida Buguda, 30-year old; Bashiru Yakuba, 35-year old; and Mohammed Umaru, 26-year old; while one Garuba Abubakar, a.k.a Elero of Lokongoma village near Oke Ode and Abubakar Adam of Ile Nla of Oke-Ode, who operate within Kwara were also paraded.
The Police Chief told journalists that the latter group were members of a kidnapping syndicate in the state, who concentrates in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, who confessed to have been the collector of N500,000 ransom paid by one of their victims.
Giving details in his address, CP Odama said, “On 9/11/2022 at about 1745hrs, one Mr. Shina Luke Abiodun, ‘m,’ of Eruku town in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, and one other, while riding on a motorcycle on their way from Egbe in Kogi State were accosted at Koro village close to Eruku town by men numbering about six, who emerged from the bush, armed with guns and other dangerous weapons.
“The hoodlums opened fire on them and they sustained gunshot injuries. They however escaped the attack and ran to the Anti-Kidnapping patrol team stationed at Eruku town.
He said it was the Anti-Kidnapping Team that moved to the scene, where they found one Techno Phone. A forensic analysis of the phone by the investigators, he said, led to the arrest of the kingpin in person of Babangida Bagudu, and two of his gang members in Oro-Ago five days later through tracking.
Headed, “The suspects confessed during interrogation to have been responsible for kidnapping operations within Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara states respectively.”
The CP insisted that one of such victims and his six-year old son came from Ekiti State to identify and confirmed that they were kidnapped and held captive for six days.
The gang only released the victims after the payment of N6 millon.
The Police Chief ASLO said that “the suspects also confessed to have also killed one Inspector Segun Ayegbulu of the NSCDC attached to Ekiti State Command, and upon further investigations, two locally made pistols were recovered from them.”
He promised that further efforts mounted by the state Police Command would in no distant time lead to the arrest of the fleeing members of the gang and as well recover the remaining fire-arms in their possession.
Similarly, CP Odama said that on 12/12/2022, the Command got an intelligence reports that one Abubakar Mohammed, a 15-year old boy had been kidnapped along Oke-Ode-Share road in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
He said the report led to the dispatch of a team of State Intelligent Bureau, SIB, and conventional Police from Oke-Ode Division.
He added, “Diligent investigations by the officers led to the arrest of one Garuba Abubakar, a.k.a. “Elero,” of Lokongoma village and his accomplice, Abubakar Adam of Ile Nla, Oke-Ode.
The gang members confessed to have have collected the sum of N500,000 as the ransom paid by the victims.
He disclosed that the leader of the gang, one ‘Chairman Rabiu,’ who is at large, is said to be the one in possession of the gang’s firearms and always in custody of all ransoms collected, as confessed by the two arrested suspects; while efforts are in top gear, to get him arrested.
He said, “All the suspects would soon be charged to court. The Command is stating for the umpteenth time that Kwara State would not be made comfortable for criminals; therefore, criminal elements are advised to leave Kwara State, as plans are firmly on ground to make Kwara State hot and uncomfortable for criminal elements.”
