Lagos – Three members of a 7-man kidnapping gang operating between Lagos and Ogun states respectively have been arrested, as the fourth member was shot dead during cross fire with the Police.
The arrested suspects however confessed to their atrocities during their parade by the Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, at the State Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos.
One of the suspects, a 27-year-old man, Rasheed Adetunji confessed that his two wives knew he was a criminal and not a kidnapper, adding that he used part of the ransom money collected from victims to marry them in Lagos
The Osun State-born Adetunji also confessed that he loves women a lot that was why he married two wives at his age and had hoped to marry more before he was arrested.
He said one of his wives had premonition of his current travails and warned him to stay away from members of his gang but he did not listen to her, but now regretted that he would miss his wives and family who he claimed he was kidnapping people for ransom to make them happy.
On how he joined the kidnapping gang, he said it was Niyi Omosola that introduced him and placed him and other members of the gang on an oath administered by a native doctor known as Baba.
The two other suspects are Ifeanyi Chukwuleta, 25, from Oguta in Imo State and Kolawale Alani, 26, from Ekiti State.
Addressing newsmen at the parade, the Commissioner of Police, Aderanti said the suspects were arrested after the kidnap of a 62-year-old woman, Kudirat Adeboye, along Eleko Epe expressway by six armed men.
According to him, the gang contacted the victim’s family and demanded N50 million and when he received the information, he directed OC SARS, Abba Kyari, to commence investigation to rescue the victim.
He said, “The gang eventually accepted N3 million ransoms after six days of keeping the victim. The kidnappers directed the victim’s son to drop the money at a spot on Ijebu Ode road where one of the kidnappers came out from the bush to collect the ransom”.
COMPOL Aderanti added that the Police operatives who were deployed to the area pursued them and there was an exchange of gun fire and one of the kidnappers, Niyi Omosola, sustained gunshot injuries.
“It was Omosola that took operatives to a forest along Epe road where the victim was rescued, but later died from the gunshot injuries he sustained”, he said.
One double barrel pistol, two expended cartridges and six live cartridges were recovered from the three suspects arrested.
The suspects confirmed their involvement in the kidnapping and gave various reasons why they joined the gang, while the three other suspects were still at large.