Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested three members of a kidnap syndicate terrorising commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The suspects, Nathaniel Jacob, 24, from Nasarawa State; Isah Danladi, 22, from Kogi State; and Abubakar Rabiu, 23, from Niger State, were arrested on Thursday in the Fidiwo area along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Oyeyemi said the suspects’ arrest followed a tip-off by hunters, who sighted them in the bush, where they were allegedly planning on how to strike on the road.
He stated, “The hunters quickly alerted the police, who rallied other stakeholders, such as the So-Safe Corps and hunters’ group and stormed the Fidiwo Alapako bush.
“On sighting the police, the suspects took to their heels, but luck ran out of the three and they were subsequently apprehended, while three others escaped with their arms.
“On interrogation, the suspects confessed to have been in the bush for 10 days, waiting for a convenient opportunity to strike.
“It took them that long because of the heavy presence of policemen on the stretch of the expressway. They stated further that they were six that made up the gang and that the three, who escaped, were in possession of their arms.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the gang was responsible for a series of kidnapping along the expressway.
“Recovered from them were cutlasses, which they claimed were seized from the farmers they saw on their farms.”
The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.
He added that the CP also assured members of the public that all kidnap cases in the state would not go unresolved as the command was working tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice.
