A suspect, Akeem Ogunnibi, 42, has confessed how enlisted the support of some officers of the Department of State Security operatives to abduct a businessman at Sabo in Osogbo, Osun State.
The suspect was paraded by the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, over the weekend.
He said the victim, a bureau de change operator in Osogbo reported that he was whisked away from his office by gun-wielding men on December 30, 2021, around 5:30 pm.
The victim, according to Olokode, added that he was driven to a bush path along Ilesa road, where he was asked to pay a ransom to be free. He said the victim was searched, dispossessed of the sum of N204,000 on him and abandoned at the place.
The suspect told newsmen he was assisted to whisk the businessman away by some operatives of the Department of State Security he was acquainted with.
He said “Bala, (the victim) is a friend, he underpaid for a gold chain he bought from my brothers and when I confronted him, I was not satisfied with his explanation, hence, I decided to call people I know in the DSS to deal with him.
“He paid N680,000 for a chain that is worth N972,000, so, I went to 5 DSS officers and we went to his place picked him and took him to their command in Osogbo.
“He was not taken into the command, they collected the money from him, I was in the car when they negotiated, I am not aware of what was demanded, but he paid N210,000 and I was given N15,000.
“The DSS operatives were also arrested but I don’t know why they were not paraded but I am sure they were arrested as well”.
The Commissioner of Police added that efforts are ongoing to bring the suspect’s cohort to book.
