The Osun State Police Command has arrested three suspected kidnappers, Barri Galadima, Muhammadu Abdullahi and Hussain Abdullah, for attempting to abduct one Alhaji Idris Aliu.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Kehinde Longe, who confirmed the arrest on Sunday, April 9, 2023, said the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the command, arrested the suspects in their hideout at a remote village in Oyo State after a tip-off.
The kidnappers were said to have earlier abducted Aliu’s brother and still shot him after collecting N4 million ransom from the family. They attempted to do the same to Aliu before nemesis caught up with them.
Before their arrest, the suspects and other accomplices numbering about 30, were said to have engaged operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in a fierce gun duel leading to injury of one police officer before being arrested.
The rest of the kidnappers managed to retreat and flee. The wounded police officer is said to be receiving medical attention and is now in a stable condition.
Speaking in Osogbo, the CP assured that the suspects would face the full wrath of the law and that their fleeing colleagues would be apprehended and prosecuted in no time.
In an interview, two of the suspects, Galadima and Abdullahi confessed to the crime while the third suspect, Hussaini, who is a Seriki Fulani in Afijio Local Government area of Oyo state denied his involvement.
“Honestly, it is the offence of kidnapping, this man Barrister Galadima, met Sarki, who gave him a number of one man who would be a good target to kidnap. At that time I didn’t know the man, even now I don’t know him, but it was Sarki that gave Barri the number,” Abdullahi said.
Also, Galadima said “We planned a kidnapping operation and called one man, we continued calling him, demanding for a ransom but he didn’t give us. We then threatened to kidnap him if he didn’t pay us a ransom. But before we could kidnap him, the Government came and apprehended us.”