…….arrest 52 hardened bandits terrorizing the state

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

WE were pushed into kidnaping out of frustration and because the economy is terribly bad. We opened our shops for days without customers and we have to eat and feed our family members”. This lamenta-tion came from two middle-aged boys suspected to be kidnappers, as they cried ceaselessly, promising not to venture into such a criminal act if they were forgiven. Biyi Beke, a Fashion designer and Daniel Sunday, a Painter were among 52 suspected criminals the Police in Ondo state paraded last week.

The two boys allegedly kidnapped ten-year-old Daniel Iyaomolere, in Lagos and brought him to Omotosho in Ondo state. They were linked up by one Segun Taiwo, still at large, who is a carpenter that works for the mother of the boy, Mrs. Yinka Iyaomolere, a trader at Idi Araba in Lagos.

* Some of the suspects.

The victim told Crime Alert that Daniel Sunday came to his school and claimed that his mother asked him to bring him (the victim) home because her car was with the mechanic. He said he followed him knowing that he comes to their house to fix their furniture and kitchen cabinet. But unknown to him, Daniel had another mission.

Immediately he picked the victim with a commercial motorcycle (Okada), another person joined him and before he knew what was happening, he slept off after he was sedated with an unknown drug only to wake up in a hideout in far away Omotosho, Ondo state. Luck however, ran out on the kidnappers when Daniel’s mother’s phone number they were trying to connect continuously, to discuss the ransom failed, for two days because it was faulty.

Desperate to get in torch with the boys mother who had been worried and informed the police in Lagos, they went to a roadside GSM centre to make a call to another number given to them by Segun, their link man. The number belongs to a girl living close to the victim’s house. As soon as the girl overheard Daniel crying over the phone, she informed his mother who subsequently alerted the police. Police were invited and they picked up the suspects later after they had discussed ransom with Mrs. Iyaomolere.

It would be recalled that for over one month, Akure, the state capital was held hostage as criminals went berserk, raiding banks and individual houses. Following this ugly development, the state government expressed serious concern over the fact that bandits were having a field day despite the patrol vehicles and other necessities given by government to the Police, in recent times.

As a result of this concern, the State Police command suddenly rose up to the challenges by smoking out the criminals from all their hideouts. Their efforts paid off as no fewer than 52 suspected hardened criminals were rounded up in different locations and paraded as those terrorizing the state within the last one month.

The biggest of the catch were ten out of the 15 daredevil armed robbers that raided three first generation banks in Akure metropolis and Ikare, four months ago and in the process, killed at least, five persons and carted away millions of Naira. These bank robbers operated in the state within intervals of three weeks. Speaking on the arrest, the Police Commissioner, Mogaji Nasarawa, said the robbers were picked up from different locations across the country and have confessed to have participated in bank robberies within and outside the state.
Nasarawa said that two of the ten suspected bank robbers were arrested in Effurun Delta State, another four in Oyo State, one in Lagos and another three in Ogun state during other unsuccessful operations adding that the suspects were identified through the CCTV footages retrieved from the banks they robbed and that they have all confessed to various bank operations in recent times.

Items recovered from them, according to the Police Boss includes: one military multipurpose machine gun No KW 276, two military rocket launchers, five rocket launchers, four dynamites, three strands of explosive cords, 115 magazines painted in military colours with 30 rounds of live ammunition each, 950 rounds of 7.62 by 39 mm live ammunition, 572 rounds of 7.62 by 51 mm live ammunition and 1 empty magazine painted in military colors.

Also, a black Prado Jeep marked CU 780 KTU belonging to a kidnapped Lawmaker in Edo state, Hon Abel Oshevire, who was released last week was recovered by the state police at Ofosu near Owena Bridge during a stop-and-check with the ignition key after the kidnappers fled into the forest.
One AK47 magazine with 23 rounds of live ammuni-tion, a car plate number belonging to Delta State Legislature, Hon Member 26 DT JUNE 2011, and some letters addressed to Hon Oshivire were recovered from the Jeep.

Four of the paraded suspected armed robbers raided and attacked a traditional ruler in Oka, Ondo, Oba Noah Olufusi.Three others, according to the Commissioner of Police, were apprehended while ferrying away one Ademola Oyebisi, whom they kidnapped in Ore while another six cultists were arrested while they were trying to forcefully initiate another student of the All States College of Education, Ibule in Ondo State.

Nasarawa added that another three that kidnapped a businessman in Bolorunduro in Ondo after robbing him of N1million, have been arrested while five other members of the gang are at large. According to him, six persons who specialize in snatching vehicles in Lagos and ferrying them to a hideout at the State Specialist Hospital in Akure from where they look for buyers, were also arrested.

He added that 14 persons who attacked people during Ogun Festival in Ondo town who have been arrested would soon be charged to court for conduct likely to cause breach of peace and promised to give hoodlums and other persons with criminal intentions, a good fight by running them out of the state.