19th April, 2013
The Edo Police Command, southsouth Nigeria, said it has arrested more than 25 kidnap suspects, describing their modus operandi as “highly sophisticated”.
The State Police Commissioner, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, who made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Benin on Thursday, said that the command was well positioned to stem the tide of kidnapping in the state.
“We have found out that the people behind these acts are high profile and their mode of operation highly sophisticated.
“You could see that from the nature of arms and ammunition recovered from the suspects.”
Adebanjo said that the command was collaborating with the state Ministry of Justice to ensure that “these suspects never find their way back to society again”.
He said that although road blocks had been banned nationwide, there was the need for the people cooperate with the police when the need arose.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Kehinde Bamigbetan is still being held hostage by kidnappers after ransom has been paid to them.
P.M.NEWS reliably gathered that ransom has been paid to the kidnappers who demanded $1 million ( about N158 million) after Bamigbetan was taken hostage at about 11pm Monday.
A top source in the council told our reporter Friday morning that ransom was paid to the kidnappers on Thursday but he could not ascertain how much the kidnappers collected.
As at Wednesday, intense negotiation was going on between the kidnappers and Bamigbetan’s family to slash the $1 million demanded by his captors.
Our source said the council boss was supposed to have been released by now after the money was paid, saying there is apprehension at the council secretariat and within Bamigbetan’s family that he had not yet been released.
A close friend of Bamigbetan was also quoted as saying Thursday that his friend would be released before the end of the day since the ransom had been paid.
There is, however, high hope that the kidnapped council boss would regain his freedom before the end of Friday.
Bamigbetan was kidnapped on Monday night while returning from an official engagement as he was about to enter his street, Ona Iwa Mimo, Ori-Oke near Egbe bridge in Ejigbo.
Bamigbetan was with his driver, Abiodun Olayiwola, in his black SUV with customised registration number Lagos KOK when the gunmen waylaid them.
His SUV was badly damaged by an electric pole which stopped it while the driver tried to escape from the gunmen.
His driver, Olayiwola, who managed to escape with bruises all over his body, said that they were ambushed by at least four gunmen a few metres away from his house.
The matter was reported at Ejigbo Police Station.
Members of the Odua People’s Congress, OPC, were also mobilised to join in the rescue of Bamigbetan.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga with agency report