Members
of the Otunba Gani Adams-led Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), on Tuesday, October
15th arrested a suspected kidnapper in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The
suspected kidnapper, who identified himself as Taofeek Lawal, said he hailed
from Osogbo, Osun State. Lawal confessed
he had been engaged in the kidnapping business to sponsor his wife’s education
in a higher institution in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The
suspect, who confessed that his targets were children between the ages of four
and six years, said the ransom for any kidnapped child was N100,000. According
to him, he had successfully kidnapped three children in Osogbo and three in
Lagos, and had sold his own child to take care of his family.
Lawal
said his 15-man gang was working for politicians and a traditional ruler in
Osun State whenever they needed their services. “I have built two houses, a
mosque and a church. I do take care of my family from what I do and my parents
know about what I do,” he said.
The
suspect further said that he had intended to quit the kidnapping but the said
traditional ruler in Osogbo encouraged him to keep doing it. He said he had
been caught five times in Lagos and Osogbo, but that the traditional ruler in
Osogbo was always securing his release.
An
OPC official at Olaifa zone, Mr Babatunde Atiba, explained that the Congress
got hint of the activities of the suspected kidnapper through a woman. Lawal
has been handed over to the Oyo State Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
for proper investigation and prosecution.
0 Comments