Oyo police arrest kidnap kingpin after foiled attempt

Oyo State Police Command has arrested a kidnap kingpin after a foiled attempt, along with 28 other suspects involved in various criminal activities across the state. Metro reports that the suspected kidnapper – whose name is being withheld – allegedly sent a threat letter to his victim demanding a N15 million ransom.

State Police Public Relations Officer Adewale Osifeso paraded the suspects at the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, over the weekend. He told reporters that the victim, who lives on 7up Road in the Oluyole area, received a call on his mobile phone from an unknown person who identified himself as the leader of a dreaded kidnapping syndicate. The caller claimed to have detailed information about the victim’s daily routine, work and family, and warned that plans were in place to abduct him and his relatives. To prove his seriousness, the suspect sent photographs of the victim’s living room and office, demonstrating that he possessed valid intelligence, and then demanded a N15 million ransom, sternly warning the victim against involving the police.

The terrified victim reported the incident to the state Commissioner of Police, who immediately directed the command’s Monitoring Unit to locate the kingpin and anyone connected with the crime. Following discreet investigations, the unit apprehended Abdulazeez Faisal near Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. During interrogation, Faisal voluntarily confessed and provided information that led to the arrest of another suspect.

In a related development, the command also detained 28 individuals for crimes ranging from car and motorcycle theft to armed robbery and murder. Among those arrested were a family of three – a couple and a blood relative – who were part of a group that robbed cyclists of their motorbikes throughout the state.

Osifeso recounted a specific incident that occurred on 12 March 2023 at about 05:30 hrs. Members of a notorious armed‑robbery syndicate, known for targeting commercial motorcyclists, intercepted a victim while he was conducting his business. The robbers inflicted severe injuries with a cutlass, seized his TVS motorcycle and fled. The victim was later found bleeding and rushed to the hospital, where he died from the injuries. The crime was reported in the Idi‑Aro Division of Ibadan.

Two days later, on 14 March 2023 at about 06:00 hrs, the same group attacked another motorcyclist at a remote location, robbing him of a Bajaj motorcycle at gunpoint. This incident was also reported in the same division. Preliminary investigations led to the arrest of three of the armed robbers.