Kidnapping: Police caution on ransom payment

By Michael Ofulue
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The Ondo State Police Command  yesterday cautioned  families of kidnapped victims against  payment of ransom , saying such act amounts to encouraging criminality.

The Command  which  said it will continue to discourage the payment,  advised family members of anyone who fell  victim to always cooperate with the police in their efforts to track down kidnappers and bring them to justice.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Joseph, who spoke to The Hope Metro on  the issue, hinted that the police authority has always discouraged family members of victims from going into negotiating with the criminals.

Rather, he  encouraged the affected families to cooperate  with the police and other relevant security agencies to bring perpetrators to book.

Also reacting to the allegation that many victims of kidnapping  in the state  usually  pay huge sums of money before they could regain freedom, Joseph said the police was  not aware of any ransom paid to unscrupulous elements who  he said want to reap where they did not sow.

His words, “Yes, we heard  and read from the media that victims of kidnap pay money to their abductors. That is not to our knowledge, because we have continued to educate the people on the danger  inherent in paying ransom.

“Rather than participating in such act, victims’ families should carry police  along  while entering  into negotiations  with the hoodlums,  while  they should  wait and see how the police will easily get them arrested and rescue their victims unhurt.

“That is why whenever we hear people or family members of victims through the media, claimed that they paid  ransom to kidnappers, we normally deny it because we were not carried along in the negotiation and we are not in support of that because it amounts to supporting criminality,” Joseph stated.

The police spokesman, who also confirmed the recent release of a driver identified as ‘Baba ‘Kekere’ ,  abducted along Iju, Ado- Ekiti road in Akure North Local Government of the state, said the police was  still hunting for the suspects, while he  assured that in no distance time, they will meet their waterloo.

A report reaching The Hope Metro confirmed that kidnappers of ‘Baba Kekere’ collected about N100, 000 from the victim’s family before he was released after much plea. But the police denied knowledge of the payment.

The PPRO, while calling on the general public to always give useful and adequate information that would assist the police in fighting crimes in the state, stated  that the job of crime prevention, detection and control is for all and sundry and should not be left for the police alone.