By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

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Ekiti State Police Command, on Tuesday paraded various groups of suspected kidnappers who have been terrorising the state for sometime.

Parading the suspects at the Command headquarters along old Iyin road, Ado-Ekiti, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Sunday Abutu, said the suspected kidnappers who were in various groups and syndicates were arrested in various parts of the state, during recent operations by officials of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and other squads attached to the command.

He explained that four men in first group  were recently arrested at a forest in Igede-Ekiti during a bush combing operation.

Abutu mentioned the names of the suspects to include,  Augustine Agbogbo, Adeniyi Olamilekan,  Williams Ukeuima Friday and Ademoh Gabriel.

 He explained that during interrogation, the suspects confessed to be members of a kidnapping syndicate who have engaged in series of kidnapping operations in Ekiti State, including  the kidnap of one Ajibade Adeleke at Igede farm settlement in Ayede-Ekiti, last year, as well as the kidnapping of one Eisape Victoria amongst others and ransoms were collected.

Items recovered from the suspects, according to the PPRO include,   one locally made single barrel gun, one dane gun, three live cartridges and a bag of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.

In another development, Abutu said during a bush combing operation inside Kajola Forest Reserve in Gbonyin local government area of the State, the police arrested one Usman Ali, who had been on the Command’s wanted list since December 2022, for different kidnapping, incidents in Ekiti state alongside one Aliu Shehu who were neutralized by the command’s operatives sometimes in the year 2022.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to be a member of a kidnapping syndicate terrorizing innocent road users along Ado/Ikole-Ekiti road”

Also paraded was a notorious suspected kidnapper,  Usman Bature, who was arrested by the Command operatives inside a forest reserve in Oke-Ako Ekiti.

It was revealed during investigation that the arrested suspect was among the hoodlums that laid siege along Oke Ako/Irele road in September 2022, where the vehicle conveying one Ayebulu Segun, a Civil Defence Officer alongside his siblings, was attacked.

The officer was shot by the hoodlums and he died on the spot, while two other members of his family were kidnapped. Concerted efforts intensified by the Command operatives later led to the rescue of the two kidnapped victims.

During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the commission of the crime alongside other members of his gang who are  at large.

Another group paraded by the Police was a five-man gang  arrested along Ado/ Ijan-Ekiti road.

He gave the names of the suspects to include Nureni Isah ‘m’: Igbekele Afolabi Fagbemi ‘m’ and Sunday Olawoye ‘m’, arrested by the Command  operatives along Ijan road, Ado-Ekiti.

During the arrest of the suspects, one Okolie Bethel Chisom, who was held hostage by the suspects, was rescued.

Investigation revealed that the suspects lured the victim from Delta State to Ekiti State before  kidnapping him and he was forced to pay N2,200,000 before they were arrested.

He said all the  arrested suspects confessed to the commission of the crime and efforts are on top gear to arraign them in court.