•••Parade Six Other Robbery Suspects in Oyo
Soji Ajibola, Abuja
Police has confirmed the arrest of a 37 year old suspected kidnap kingpin, one Olarinde Adekunle over a failed attempt to kidnap three undergraduate students of a privately owned University in Oyo town, Oyo state.
The suspect also planned to attack a first generation bank in the town before his arrest.
Parading the suspect before newsmen on Monday at the Force Headquarter, Eleyele, Ibadan, the Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso said the suspect in his handwritten note demanded payment of N10m ransom else three of the students of the institution would be held captive.
The development has thrown the academic community into confusion, noting the prevailing insecurity across the Country.
The Police image maker stated that the management of the institution briefed the authority of the development, thereby, forcing the police to take decisive steps which resulted in the arrest of the suspect.
He said, “A notorious kidnapping syndicate sent an ‘’Hand-Written” note to the management of a Private University Institution, in Oyo town wherein they threatened to abduct three of its students should the management fail to pay-up (N10,000,000) Ten Million Naira within a stipulated period.
“The threat as expected, disrupted academic activities within the University, stirring up panic and uncertainty among the university community.
“Basking under the euphoria of what they presumed was a successful scheme, and blinded with greed, they decided to extend a similar (hand-written) notification to a branch office of a New Generation Bank within Owode Area, Oyo with the intentions of invading it later in the week.
“Consequent upon the above, discreet forensic-based investigations were carried out and this led to the arrest of one Azeez Mufutau ‘M’ whose phone numbers were inscribed on the ‘’Hand-written notes’’ sent to the both the school management and bank.
“Upon questioning, the suspect confirmed that the phone number on the Note was his but denied being the author of the document.
“The investigation further led to the arrest of one Olarinde Adekunle ‘M’ aged 37yrs who confessed to being the author of the hand-written notes under scrutiny and added that Azeez Mufutau ‘m’ was used as a decoy for the purpose of concealing his direct involvement.”
In an interview with the newsmen, the suspect denied the allegations of kidnap attempt levelled against him but admitted writing the letter to the management of the institution.
His confessional statement, “I gave out motorcycles otherwise known as okada to a staff of the institution on loan but he refused to honour the bilateral agreement instead he threatened to deal with me.
“I wrote the letter as a threat but not to kidnap the students as alleged. I am not a kidnapper.”
When asked the correlation between the N10,000 claimed being owed and N10m ransom demanded in the letter, he kept mum.
In a separate interview, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution who preferred anonymity confirmed the receipt of the threat letter by the suspects.
He said the letter which has caused panic in the academic community was dropped at the gate of the institution.
According to him, the threat letter was dropped at the gate of our institution with graphic description of roads leading to the University.
“The author of the letter threatened to kidnap our students, if we fail to deposit N10m within a stipulated period
“We immediately alerted the relevant security agencies including the Police Authority. With their timely arrest, the police has justified the confidence repose in them by the citizens of this Country.”
In a related development, the police has paraded six armed robbery suspects terrorizing Oyo town and it’s neighbourhood.
The suspects dispossesed six traders of 180 kegs of palm oil valued N3.6m
“Some members of a notorious armed robbery syndicate who have been terrorizing members of the public in Oyo town invaded the shop of one Abass Taiwo ‘m’ where he operates Mobile Banking Services and other business activities.
“The notorious hoodlums who were armed to the teeth attacked Abass Taiwo, dispossessing him of; huge proceeds from his Point of Sale ‘’POS’’ Machine, ten different mobile phones belonging his customers and some other valuable items at GUN POINT.
‘However, the victim immediately raised alarm while the hoodlums were fleeing from the scene of crime, which caught the attention of the valiant operatives of the Command’s Monitoring Unit who were on intelligence led patrol in the area.
‘Consequent upon the above, one of the robbers who later identified himself as IBRAHIM OLUSOLA ‘m’ was apprehended.
‘Upon interrogations, the suspect confessed to the crime and series of similar criminals activities he had masterminded with his fleeing syndicate members.
“He equally gave useful information which later led to the identification, tracking and eventual arrest of his criminal gang members from their various hideouts while the syndicate kingpin, Opeyemi Segun Aka Omo Jesu was arrested in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“Items recovered, according to the police include, one double barrel locally made gun, one live Cartridge and a Mazda Bus which they drove to the scene of crime were recovered from the suspects.
‘The suspects have since confessed to the atrocious crime including another armed robbery operation at Idi-Gedu area along Oyo/Iseyin road Oyo in which six traders including three women whowere travelling from Iwo town in Osun State to Okeho area of Oyo State in a commercial Mazda bus were intercepted and attacked.
‘The six traders and the commercial bus driver were bundled in one Toyota
Corolla Car and moved them to a desolate location inside a thick forest, where they were dispossessed of huge sums of money eight cell phones and equally carted away the one hundred and eighty ‘’180’’ kegs of palm oil valued Three Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira (N3, 600, 000. 00) only loaded in the Mazda
Bus.”