ABEOKUTA – Ogun State Police Command said it has arrested a seven-man gang that specialised in kidnapping and killing their victims after collecting ransom from their relatives.
The group, according to the state commissioner of police, Abiodun Alamutu, who disclosed this at the command’s headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, the state capital, on Friday, operates in the in the Ijebu-Igbo area in Ijebu North local government area of the state.
He said two members of the gang, Chukwuma Bathlomew, aged 40, and Igwe Sunday, aged 42, were arrested and paraded last month, while 31-year-old Ifeanyi Mathias, Anayo Simeon, aged 28, and Ayo Adedayo, aged 46, were recently arrested.
Others were Chibueze Odah, aged 41; Ejiofor Nwali, aged 35; and 22-year-old Eke Peter, Monday Paul, aged 24, and 37-year-old Chukwuma Zainab.
Alamutu said, “On July 28, 2023, at about 1 a.m. in Ojowo area of Ijebu-Igbo, the armed men invaded the house of one Raheem Azeez and robbed him and his wife, Raheem Afolashade, of their valuables.”
He said, “The armed men later went to another house belonging to one Oluwaseun Oworu Samuel ‘m’ and shot him with a gun through the window before they have access to his house and robbed him of his POS machine, recharge cards, cash, and other valuables.
“The armed robbers left the victim in his pool of blood. Oluwaseun Oworu Samuel ‘m’ was later taken to Babcock University Hospital for medical attention, but he died on August 4, 2023, at the hospital. His corpse was deposited at the morgue for autopsy.”
The CP said that similarly, “on October 2, 2023, at about 1:30 a.m. in the Egbe area, Oke Sopen, Ijebu Igbo, the same gang stormed the house of Adegbenga Adeniran and kidnapped his daughter, one Elizabeth Adeniran, aged 17, and took her to an unknown destination”.
The Commissioner said, “The kidnappers later collected N3.1m as ransom through an account belonging to late Oluwaseun Oworu Samuel ‘m’ that was shot earlier at his residence.
“Despite collecting ransom, the kidnappers still went ahead to kill the young girl and dumped her corpse in a well at Oke-Agbo area, Ijebu-Igbo.
Alamutu said that on November 11, 2023, at about 10:10pm, the same armed gang struck again attacking the traditional ruler of Aparaki Ijebu, Prof Julius Niyi Benedict, and robbed him and his wife, Abigael Olubunmi, of their phones and other valuables.
They were said to have later shot the traditional ruler and kidnapped his wife, after which they transferred N15,050 from the account of the kidnapped victim to the account of late Oluwaseun Oworu.
The kidnappers later tied down the victim and abandoned her inside the forest, but she later escaped unhurt and reunited with her family.
The CP explained further that on November 23, 2023, at about 9:30pm, behind Abusi Edumare Academy School, Ijebu Igbo, the gang was again on the rampage, kidnapping one Ogunyemi Femi at his residence and taking him to an unknown destination.
Alamutu said that after collecting N3m ransom through the same account belonging to late Oluwaseun Oworu, the kidnappers, rather than releasing the victim, killed him and dumped his corpse in a shallow grave at Japara Forest, Ijebu-Igbo, but the corpse had been recovered.
The Commissioner said that on February 27, 2024, at about 8:44 p.m., the gang continued their act as they accosted one Adedayo Kehinde Temitayo at the entrance of his house in Surulere, Ipojo Golden Estate, Ijebu Ode.
The four armed robbers reportedly robbed Adedayo and his wife, Mojisola, of mobile phones and other valuables worth N1,069,000.
The police boss said that “the armed men later abducted the complainant to an unknown destination, and threw him inside the well at Imope Forest in Ogun State, after doing short video recording of him at gunpoint, compelling him to tell his family to pay ransom of N10m.
“The armed men forwarded the video recording to the victim’s family to coerce them to pay the ransom. The victim crawled out of the well and escaped miraculously.
Alamutu said that after collecting N3m ransom through the same account belonging to late Oluwaseun Oworu, the kidnappers, rather than releasing the victim, killed him and dumped his corpse in a shallow grave at Japara Forest, Ijebu-Igbo, but the corpse had been recovered.
The Commissioner said that on February 27, 2024, at about 8:44 p.m., the gang continued their act as they accosted one Adedayo Kehinde Temitayo at the entrance of his house in Surulere, Ipojo Golden Estate, Ijebu Ode.
The four armed robbers reportedly robbed Adedayo and his wife, Mojisola, of mobile phones and other valuables worth N1,069,000.
The police boss said that “the armed men later abducted the complainant to an unknown destination, and threw him inside the well at Imope Forest in Ogun State, after doing short video recording of him at gunpoint, compelling him to tell his family to pay ransom of N10m.
“The armed men forwarded the video recording to the victim’s family to coerce them to pay the ransom. The victim crawled out of the well and escaped miraculously.
“On March 1, 2024, at about 2014hrs, Mojisola Adedayo ‘f’ received notification from Facebook through her email that her password was just reset using the phone number +2349165594278 on her black Android phone that was earlier stolen by the armed men that kidnapped her husband”.
The CP revealed further that on March 12, 2024, at about 10:45pm, the group also attacked one Oladokun Mathew and his wife, Bolanle, together with their five children, just as they were arriving at their residence at Akandi Street, Awa Ijebu, Ogun State.
The gang, in their usual modus operandi, kidnapped Oladokun’s wife, collected ransom, after which they killed the victim and dumped his corpse in a shallow grave at Awa-Ijebu.
Exhibits recovered from them include one blue Tecno Cammon phone and three expended cartridges.
Alamutu said that the suspects will be charged to court to answer for their misdeeds as soon as the investigation into their illegality is completed.
