Police operatives have arrested a couple and another person who were alleged to have killed an hotelier in the process of trying to kidnap his wife and son.
The couple, Adebayo Adewumi and Olufunmilayo, and one Adebowale Sanni were said to have kidnapped and killed Managing Director of Rolak Hotel Ijebu Ode, Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith two months ago .
The Spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, a Superintendent of Police, confirmed the arrests to journalists on Thursday.
He said that the wife Okereke Olufunmilayo, who was a staff of the late hotelier connived with her husband and other members of the kidnap gang in the dangerous plot to kidnap and kill the wife and don of the murdered hotelier.
He said, “Otunba Ajayi Smith was kidnapped on the Sept. 28 at about 7:30 am, at Anifowose Estate igbeba, Ijebu Ode by some gunmen.
“On receiving the information about the kidnap, men of anti kidnapping unit were then mobilized to commence investigation, but all efforts to get the victim out of captivity proved abortive, despite the fact that the victim’s family paid a ransome of N15million to the abductors”.
“The efforts of the SP Taiwo Opadiran led team yielded positive result in September this year, when they got wind of plan by the hoodlums to strike again. This time, the wife and son of Otunba Ajayi Smith were their target.
“The team, having got the intelligence report, embarked on technical surveillance for the suspects, consequence upon which one of them was traced to Ikeji Arakeji in Osun state, where the 55 years old Adebowale Sanni was apprehended.
“On interrogation, he confessed to have been on the trail of Yeye Olusola Roseline Ajayi, the wife of their earlier victim, in order to kidnap her, on the order of Larry Adebayo Adewumi the ring leader, whose wife Olufunmilayo happened to be an employee of Otunba Ajayi Smith.
“He confessed further that it was Larry who described the location of the victim’s hotel and his other business outfits to him with instruction that if they succeeded in kidnapping the woman and her son, the two of them must be killed after collecting ransome in order not to leave any trait, just as they did to her husband two years ago.
“His confession led to the arrest of Larry’s wife Olufunmilayo who was a manager at the victim’s building materials shops.
“Larry himself was arrested three days after. He initially denied having anything to do with the kidnap of Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith, but when he came into confrontation with Adebowale Sanni, his accomplice, he knew immediately that the game is up.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that Larry who is an indigine of Ilesha Osun state used to be a fraudster before he graduated to full-time kidnapping business.
“His modus operandi was to scout for a rich victim, after which he will mobilized the gang working for him to go after such person.
“He got full information about Otunba Ajayi Smith through his wife Olufunmilayo who was an employee of the man.
“Further investigation revealed that Larry has two bank accounts where he used to keep money realized from his criminal activities.
“In one of the accounts with number 0010913206 domicile in JAIZ Bank, the sum of ₦34,953,455 was discovered there in, while he has the sum of ₦4,576,846 in another account with Access Bank.
“A 2014 model Toyota Highlander was also recovered from him”, Oyeyemi said.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered police operatives to go after other members of the gang in order to arrest them and make them to face justice.
