19-year-old, 2 others nabbed over kidnap of Ondo Imam

Muinah Mohammed, a 19-year-old suspected leader of a kidnap syndicate, has been arrested in connection with the abduction of the Chief Imam of the Uso community in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Alhaji Ibrahim Bodunde Oyinlade.

 Recall that Oyinlade was kidnapped last month on his farmland located at Asolo camp in Uso by armed men brandishing various dangerous weapons.

 Daily Trust had reported that the 67-year-old, Oyinlade, was later freed twenty-four hours after his abduction by the gunmen following the alleged payment of two million naira as ransom and negotiation for his release.

 However, Mohammed was nabbed by the police alongside two other alleged accomplices, identified as Aisha Bello, 20 and Isah Bello, 40 over the kidnapping of the Chief Imam.

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 Parading the suspect on Tuesday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya said the suspects were nabbed after the wife of the kidnap victim, Mrs Bodunde, came to report the incident to the police.

 Mrs Odunlami-Omisanya revealed that the victim’s wife had complained to the police that her husband (the chief imam) went to his farm and had not returned at the time of reporting his unknown whereabouts to the police.

 “Unfortunately, when they did not see him (Chief Imam), they sent two persons to the farm to look for him. When they got to the farm, they saw his car and his mobile phone but could not see him.

 “Immediately, the case was reported to us, our officers swung into action and at the end of the day, the man was released but through our intelligence team we were able to arrest these suspects.”

 She further explained that the mobile phone, used in the negotiation of the ransom collected from the family of the victim, was found in the possession of the suspects.

 According to her, the suspects would soon be charged to court after the end of the police investigation.

 During interrogation with journalists, one of the suspects, Aisha Bello, denied her involvement in the kidnapping of the victim.

 Bello narrated how the main suspect, Mohammed, met her in the shop to borrow her SIM card for some days to make calls, adding that she had forfeited it since he left with it.