Crime

Ondo Police Rescue Kidnapped Victim, Arrest Four Suspects

By Web News 642

The Police Command in Ondo State says it has rescued an abducted lady, Oluwaseun Adebayo, and arrested four suspects connected with the incident in Akure, the state capital.

The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure.

Ayanlade, who said the rescue followed prompt action after an alert from a public-spirited citizen, explained that the incident occurred on November 4 at about 6:30 p.m.

He said subsequent investigations revealed that the victim, Adebayo, was abducted along Weluwelu Street, Ilekun, Oda, in Akure South Local Government Area of the state.

“A good Samaritan notified the Police that four young men driving an unregistered Toyota Camry, had forcefully abducted a lady, and were headed towards Shoprite roundabout in Akure.

“Acting swiftly on the intelligence, the command’s personnel immediately mobilised and strategically blocked the suspects’ route.

“They successfully intercepted the vehicle leading to the arrest of all four assailants and the immediate rescue of the victim.

“Meanwhile, the victim was being taken to an unknown destination before the prompt intervention of our operatives,” he said.

Ayanlade explained that the timely coordination between the alert and police response proved pivotal in foiling what could have become another tragic case of abduction.

“In continuation of the investigation, the unregistered Toyota Camry Muscle Camry, used by the suspects, has been recovered as an exhibit.

“Meanwhile, the four suspects remain in custody as discreet inquiries continue to uncover further details surrounding the incident,” the spokesperson said.

He, therefore, said the Commissioner of Police (CP), Adebowale Lawal, commended the professionalism and swift response of his men, and also appreciated the vigilante members whose timely information aided the success of the operation.

Ayanlade said the CP emphasised that such collaboration underscored the growing trust between the police and the people, a key pillar of modern policing.

Punch/Adebukola Aluko

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Crime

Police Uncover Staged Kidnapping by Pastor, Wife

By Web News 906

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 42-year-old woman, Mrs Sanmori Taiwo, and her 62-year-old husband, Pastor Sanmori Joshua, for allegedly faking her abduction to extort N10m from relatives abroad.

According to a statement released by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olushola Ayanlade on Wednesday, the drama played out on August 23 at the couple’s residence on Road 5, PowerLine, Ondo City.

According to him, Taiwo deliberately secluded herself in a room while her husband reached out to her relatives, claiming she had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

“Suspicious of the claims, one of the relatives, Mr Fasegha O. Joseph, through a written petition, reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, who directed the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS),” Ayanlade said.

He explained that operatives, backed by Enu-owa Division in Ondo City, stormed the couple’s residence where the woman was found.

“She falsely claimed to have just been released by kidnappers after a ransom of Five Million Naira was allegedly paid,” the police spokesman added.

Ayanlade further disclosed that during interrogation, the woman owned up to staging the abduction to raise money.

“Upon further interrogation at the Command, Mrs Taiwo confessed that the abduction was staged as a self-kidnapping scheme, masterminded to extort money from her relatives abroad under the pretense of securing her release. She further admitted that her motive was to settle debts and provide for her personal needs,” he stated.

The police said the couple would remain in custody and would face charges after investigations.

“We will diligently unravel all forms of criminality, whether real or staged, in order to preserve peace, protect lives, and safeguard the integrity of communities within the state,” Ayanlade added.

By Adebukola Aluko

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Security

We’re not responsible for your people’s deaths – Police tells Ondo Community

By Web News 467

Nigeria Police, Ondo State Command, says it was not responsible for the death of three indigenes of Kajola in Odogbo Local Government Area of the state.

The report says the victims, including a village head, were reportedly crushed to death on Saturday evening by a hit-and-run driver on their motorcycle at the Kajola area on Lagos-Ore expressway.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Funmilayo Odunlami, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the victims’ death was not due to police recklessness but owing to flouting of traffic rules.

She said the three deceased were riding on a one-way route with a motorcycle without a headlamp, which led to a head-on collision with a speeding vehicle.

“The death of the victims was not caused by the police, as been circulated. They died as a result of flouting traffic rules”.

“The three deceased were riding a motorcycle with no headlamp on a one-way route and had a head-on collision with a speeding vehicle. They have died now and are not able to tell the story”.

“Youths should find a way of registering their grievances. Lynching police officers or burning down a police station at every slightest opportunity is barbaric”.

“Police are there to protect them, while there are several emergency numbers through which they can report issues to the police headquarters. They should not take laws into their hands,” Odunlami said

NAN reports that youths in the area had accused the police of extortion at a checkpoint in the area which they described as illegal.

NAN/Maxwell Oyekunle