Again, police discover kidnappers’ den in Oyo

Police in Oyo State yesterday discovered yet another kidnappers’ hideout at Oyagbe area in Atiba Local Government Area of Oyo town. The hideout is located in the local government area regarded as Alaafin of Oyo’s council, and was said to have been a deserted hotel belonging to one Olatunji Kabiru, now in police custody.

The state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Katsina, said his men had arrested five kidnappers in connection with the hideout. While parading the suspects, Katsina told journalists that a victim, Husseni Sani, was rescued from the den of the kidnappers in Oyo town.

The commissioner added that the kidnappers had come all the way from Benin Republic and moved to Kwara State and finally settled at Atiba Local Government Area of Oyo State. He said: “Today, we are happy to announce that a ground-breaking discovery was made yet again and this time in Oyo town where some wicked individuals kidnapped a fellow human for ransom. We have, so far, arrested five people connected with the crime including the hotelier. The victim is now in our custody.” The hotelier, Olatunji Kabiru, a former counsellor of Ward 1, Atiba Local Government Area, said the kidnapper had come to him to ask for three rooms for two weeks.

He added that they also gave him a deposit of N5,000. Kabiru said he had no idea that they were kidnappers and that he got to know about their activities when the police came to arrest him. The victim, Hussein Sani, a cattle breeder from Ikoyi Ile, Kajoola Local Government in Oyo Town, said he was kidnapped at Ogbomoso and was fed rice and Coke for 14 days. He added that the kidnappers had demanded N1 million ransom and threatened to kill him and his elder brother if he was unable to pay.

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who spoke journalists, thanked the police and other security agencies for swiftly clamping down on the suspected kidnappers. He said the prompt move of the police contributed immensely to the discovery of the hideout. The monarch urged community members to be more careful while going about their various activities. He said: “I thank men of the police and other security agencies for bursting the crime in this part of the state which is very surprising to us in this area. “I must add that such people should not be allowed to exist in our societies.”