Police arrest notorious kidn@ppers terr%rizing the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and k#lling people; recovers N7.5 million cash including new Naira notes

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested ten suspected members of a kidn@pping syndicate terr%rizing Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

It is reported that the suspects were responsible for the abduction of a former deputy vice chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof Adigun Agbaje, who was kidn@pped at the Onigaari axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway around 6pm on October 28, 2022. A ransom of N10million was said to have been collected before he was released but he sustained a g¥n b¥llet inj¥ry on his head. They were also responsible for abd¥cting seven other persons along the expressway.

It is said that three of the suspects were responsible for the k#lling of a United States-based hotelier, Gbenga Owolabi, and a final-year student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Rachael Opadele.

According to a statement on Thursday, December 22, by the spokesman of the command, Adewale Osifeso, the suspects att@cked a team of policemen heeding a distress call to rescue abd¥cted persons. He said an inspector was k#lled in the shootout with the kidn@ppers.

Osifeso said the suspected kidn@ppers had taken their victims away to an unknown destination through the thick forest along the expressway. They had also contacted relatives for ransom. The statement read: “The Oyo State Police Command, in a technological intelligence-aided operation, and with necessary support from Amotekun (the Oyo State Security Network) and other community partners, apprehended the duo of Babangida Buhari Awalu, 34, and Kabiru Aliyu, 25. Both are commercial motorcyclists and couriers for the kidn@p syndicate.
They were arrested while retrieving ‘exchange money’ for other members of the syndicate around Ojoo Area, Ibadan.

Other members of the gang include; Mohammed Salfa, 20, Usman Hassan, 22, Mohammed Bello, 28, Mikailu Yahaya, 25, Muhammad Umoru, 30, as well as Ayanwola Samson Gbenga, 22, Adewuyin Adewumi Sunday, 34, and Rafiu Abdulmajeed, 40.”

According to him, investigation revealed that the monies received from the victims were moved into the bank accounts of Adewuyi Adewumi Sunday, Ayanwola Samson Gbenga, and Rafiu Abdulmajeed for onward distribution to other members of the kidnapping syndicate. The suspects, he said, confessed that the transactions were made into the three suspects’ bank accounts via Point of Sales terminals at choice locations to evade arrest.

However, N7.5 million including new Naira notes, four AK-47 rifles, 75 AK-47 live ammunition, 2 pairs of military camouflage and one police beret were among the items recovered from the suspects.”