. Awunah: Suspects planned to demand N1 billion ransom
By Dele Ogbodo in Abuja
The Police, on Wednesday, said it has foiled an attempt by three suspected gang men to kidnap Mr. Femi Otedola, a popular Lagos based oil magnate.
In a statement made available to the media, in Abuja, by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Donald Awunah, said, the three suspects: Ikechwuku Daniel, Adeyemi Kayode and Ayodele Temitayo, planned to demand N1 billion ransom from Otedola.
Parading the suspects, Tuesday night at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) head office, in Abuja, the PRO said the feat of the arrest of the gang men was achieved through the IG’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
Awunah, said one Ikechukwu Daniel, a 28 year old indigene of Imo State, who is the mastermind of the gang, was rusticated from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria due to cult related activities in 2010.
The statement further said, Daniel is an ICT guru with mastery of computer applications, adding made damning revelations of their criminal exploits in the South West of the country, the statement added.
“Another member of the gang, 29 year old Adeyemi Kayode, a serving officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence corps and a native of Ojoo in Ibadan, Oyo State serves as a Personal Assistant to the Commandant, NSCDC Oyo State Command.
“The suspect took undue advantage of his office to obtain the GSM number and location of their would be victim. He hatched the plan on how to kidnap the business magnate to make a demand of N1 billion ransom.”
The third suspect, Ayodele Temitayo, a native of Oyo in Ibadan, Oyo State, according to the statement who is the marksman and armourer of the gang, claimed to have been dismissed from 213 Battalion Maiduguri of Nigeria Army as a Private in 2015.
The suspects, the Force PRO, said made confessional statements revealing that they had successfully carried out several high profile kidnappings. Two AK47 rifles loaded with live ammunition were recovered from them, he said.
While efforts are currently being intensified to apprehend other members of the gang and extend investigation to their other criminal enterprise, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, restated the commitment of the Force to clamp down on all criminal activities across the country, the statement added. END
