..weeks after residents cried out to the State government

Five members of a kidnap syndicate, terrorizing Obada Oko area and its environs have been arrested by officers of the Ogun state Police Command.

This was disclosed in a press statement by the Police Public Relations officer of the State, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi which was received by Nigerian Newstrack.

The statement identified the suspects as Aliu Manya, Usman Abubakar, Abayomi Olayiwola, Nasiru Muhammad and Bello Usman.

The PPRO in the statement disclosed that the criminals were arrested, following information received by policemen attached to Obada-Oko divisional headquarters that the men were sighted on two motorcycles inside the  forest around Eleja area of Obada oko at about 8:00 pm.

He said, it was based on the information, that the DPO Obada- Oko division, CSP Tijani Muhammed, quickly mobilized his men in conjunction with other stakeholders including the So Safe corps, hunters and local vigilante, who stormed the forest where the five suspects were apprehended. 

According to DSP Oyeyemi, "some illicit drugs such as packs of tramadol, weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, three cutlasses, SK and two motorcycles with registration number MEK 504 VC and ODE 423 VC as well as a sum of seventy three thousand naira were recovered from the suspects.

"In the process of investigation, a kidnap victim who was earlier abducted and released had come forward to identify the suspects as those that kidnapped him".

"The victim's brother, who paid the ransom requested by the suspects also identified two among those arrested as the people  who received the money from him for the release of his brother".

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of police, CP Lanre Bankole, has ordered the transfer of the suspects to the anti kidnapping unit of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for discreet investigation.

He also directed that other members of the gang should be quickly apprehended and brought to justice. 

The CP therefore appealed to members of the public to always assist the police by giving them useful information that would help in tracking down the criminals within their areas. 

It would be recalled that the inhabitants of Obada-Oko Area in the last three weeks had cried out to Governor Dapo Abiodun as reported by the Nigerian Newstrack to save them from the menace of the Kidnappers, whose act was fast turning into a daily occurrence.