How Okada rider monitored Ondo lecturer before kidnap – Police
The Ondo State Police Command has revealed how a 45-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Benson Alaba of Akungba-Akoko, used his familiarity with a kidnapped victim to monitor his movements ahead of the abduction.
Police spokesperson DSP Olusola Ayanlade said they arrested seven suspects in connection with the abduction of Mr Omoniyi Samuel, a lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko.
“On August 4, he visited the victim’s home under the pretence of requesting a handset, but it was later confirmed to be a calculated ploy to study the victim’s activities and create an opening for the syndicate,” the command stated.
Investigations also linked 42-year-old Ogungbemi Wasiu of Ikare to the crime.
According to police, he provided the Itel handset used to demand a ransom of N5 million from the victim’s family. “Although he claimed the phone was lost days before the incident, he failed to report the loss, which aided the criminal enterprise,” the statement read.
The five other suspects—Audu Shaibu (25), Ismaila Abdullahi (24), Nuru Bature (18), Usman Baba (20), and Yusuf Muhammed (23), all from Agopanu, Owo—were identified as those who carried out the physical abduction. Eyewitnesses confirmed they also made direct ransom demands from the victim’s relatives.
The command dismissed earlier reports that the suspects were arrested while sharing ransom money.
“Their arrest was the result of carefully coordinated follow-up operations based on credible intelligence, not during any alleged ransom-sharing activity,” the police clarified.
