Police foil bank robbery attack, kidnap attempt in Oyo

By Stephen Gbadamosi

The Oyo State Police Command has paraded a suspected kidnap kingpin who reportedly wrote a notification to one new generation bank and one private university in Oyo town, informing them of attempt to rob the bank and kidnap students of the institution for ransom.

The state Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, who addressed the media on Monday, said the suspected kidnap kingpin, Olarinde Adekunle, 37, described as a member of a notorious kidnapping syndicate, sent a “hand-written” note to the management of one private university in Oyo town.

He said the kidnappers, in the letter, threatened to abduct three of its students, should the management fail to pay the sum of N10,000,000 within a stipulated period, but that the writer was arrested, based on intelligence deployment by men and officers of the Command.

Adekunle was paraded alongside seven other armed robbery suspects who were said to have been terrorising Point of Sale (PoS) machines operators in Oyo town as well as traders plying Igbedu Oyo – Iseyin – Iwo axis.

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Adebowale also noted that the kidnap kingpin had written a notification letter to authorities of one new generation bank in Owode area of Oyo town with the intention to gang-rob them on the said Monday, 15th August, before his arrest.

Briefing journalists on behalf of the Commissioner, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adewale Osifeso, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said “the Oyo State Police Command, under the astute and dynamic leadership of CP Adebowale Williams, is resolute in making the state undesirable and inhabitable for criminally-minded and other unscrupulous elements, with the adoption of distinctive and multifaceted crime-tackling approach premised on improved communal partnerships and technology-aided inquiries.

“Unrelenting with sustaining the relative tranquility enjoyed in the state through its continuous proactive policing approach and swift dispensation of justice, the Command’s monitoring unit has intercepted a kidnap mastermind whose mode of operation is to run detailed background checks on unsuspected victims and then informing them through writing of his intention to abduct them, unless a stipulated amount of money could be sourced and paid to him.

“Preliminary investigation has, thus, revealed that on Thursday, 11th August, at about 8:00a.m., members of a notorious kidnapping syndicate sent a hand-written note to the management of a private university in Oyo town in which they threatened to abduct three of its students, should the management fail to pay-up N10,000,000 within a stipulated period.

“The threat, as expected, disrupted academic activities within the university, stirring up panic and uncertainty among the community. Basking in the euphoria of what they presumed was a successful scheme and blinded with greed, they decided to extend a similar notification to a branch of a new generation bank within Owode area of Oyo with the intentions of invading it later in the week.

“Consequent upon the above, discreet forensic-based investigation were carried out and this led to the arrest of one Azeez Mufutau, whose phone numbers were inscribed on the hand-written notes sent the school management and the bank.

“Upon questioning, the suspect confirmed that the phone number on the note was his, but denied being the author of the document.

“Investigation further led to the arrest of one Olarinde Adekunle, aged 37 years, who confessed to being the author the notes under scrutiny and added that Mufutau was used as a decoy for the purpose of concealing his direct involvement.

“Investigation is now in progress and further developments will be communicated accordingly.”

According to the PPRO, exhibits recovered from the suspect were one Techno mobile phone, “a well-laid-out Oyo State map that identified the targeted areas” and a notification letter written to the university authorities.

Speaking with journalists, the suspect, Adekunle, confirmed having written the letter, but said he didn’t mean to abduct the students, but to threaten one Azeez, who was owing him N20,000.

“I wrote the letter to threaten Azeez who was owing me 20,000. I don’t even know what came over me that led me to such action. I demanded the sum of N10 million in my letter and I used the phone number of Azeez so as to ‘rope’ (incriminate) him in the crime,” he said.

The Command also gave the names of the paraded suspected armed robbers terrorising POS operators and traders in Oyo town as Ibrahim Olusola, 32; Ismail Afeez, 32; Ibrahim Isiaka, 25; Tijani Habeeb, 23; Wasiu Salawu, also known as Body, Opeyemi Segun, also known as Omo Jesus, 32; and Ibrahim Balogun, 23.

Exhibits recovered from the suspected armed robbers are one double-barrel locally-made gun, one live cartridge, one Mazda bus and one Toyota Corolla car with registration number SMK 330 FD.