Oyo State Police Command have paraded three suspected killers of an Ogbomoso-born, United State-based hotelier, Olugbenga Owolabi and final year student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Rachel Opadele.
Recall that Owolabi and Opadele were abducted in August 2022, at a hotel located in the Abaa community in Surulere Local Government Area of Ogbomoso in Oyo State.
It was reported that the victims were shot dead after the kidnappers had collected a N5m ransom.
The okada rider, who took the ransom to the kidnapper’s den, was also shot, but escaped with injuries.
Opadele who was writing her final year project then, had since been buried while the remains of Owolabi was flown back to the US for burial.
The suspects were paraded at the state police headquarters Eleyele, Ibadan alongside for their alleged involvement in various criminal cases such as kidnapping for ransom, and armed robbery, among others within the state.
Briefing newsmen at the Police Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP. Adewale Osifeso, said that the suspects were arrested after kidnapping another victim, one Alhaji Waheed Hameed, a Cattle dealer on Sept.16.
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Osifeso said the suspected kidnappers, who have been terrorising people of Ogbomoso, intercepted and attack Hameed at a desolate spot, while armed with AK-47 Riffles and other dangerous weapons and later whisked their victim away into a thick forest.
He said that the suspects later contacted the victim’s relative and demanded for N1million ransom before he could be released.
The Police spokesperson said that when the command team got wind of the incident, it deployed all available resources in rescuing the victim unhurt with his abductors arrested.
“Sequel to this directive, operatives attached to the Monitoring Unit swung into action and in the process of combing the thick forest alongside local hunters and members of Vigilance group, they stumbled upon where the victim was held captive and rescued him unhurt.
“The victim during debriefing, narrated his ordeal in the hands of his abductors and explained that while the kidnappers were negotiating his ransom, they claimed responsibility for the death of an Ogbomosho hotelier, Mr Gbenga Owolabi, threatening that he (the abductee) would suffer a similar fate should his ransom payment process get thwarted by involving the police.
“The victim also gave other useful information to the Police operatives and this led to the arrest of three members of the kidnapping syndicate,” Osifeso said.
Similarly, he said the command’s crack detectives arrested 10 suspected kidnappers linked with the the kidnap of Agbaje.
Recall that Adigun, alongside others, were kidnapped on Oct. 28 by kidnappers, allegedly in military uniform that laid seige to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway around Dominion University.
He said that the victim was later released on Oct. 31 after ransom was allegedly paid, while a policeman lost his live during the incident.
According to Osifeso, items recovered from the suspects included four AK-47 Rifles,75 K-47 live Ammunition, two pairs of military camouflage and N7.5 million cash.
He said the suspects had confessed to the crime, adding that manhunt for other members of the criminal syndicate continues.