Men of the Osun State Police Command have arrested three suspected kidnappers who were terrorising residents of the state.
The command’s anti-kidnapping squad stormed their hideout and arrested the suspects while others escaped.
Some Fulani herdsmen in the state reported the activities of the kidnappers to the police and demanded action.
The policemen tracked the kidnappers to a village in Oyo State and stormed their hideout. The policemen voided the attempt to kidnap another Fulani herder, Idris Aliu.
In a gun duel, one of the policemen was shot by the kidnappers. The policemen arrested three suspects while others escaped.
The commander of the anti-kidnapping squad, Moses Lohor, said the injured policeman was responding to treatment in hospital.
The suspects include the Seriki Fulani in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Hussain Abdullah, and two Fulani herdsmen, Barri Galadima and Muhammadu Abdullahi. But Hussain denied involvement in the kidnapping.
One of the suspects, Barri Galadima said, “We planned a kidnapping operation and called one man. We kept on calling him, demanding ransom, but he didn’t give it to us. We then threatened to kidnap him if he didn’t pay us. But before we could kidnap him, the government came and apprehended us.”
Another suspect, Muhammadu said, “Honestly, it is the offence of kidnapping, this man, Barrister Galadima, met Sarki, who gave him the 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 who gave Barri the number. Sarki is our boss and we have been working together, though it was always legitimate business.
“He said we should call the number and threaten him to pay or we will kidnap him because people are scared of kidnapping now. When we called him, he said his wife was in the hospital, but he would try to raise N500,000. We then agreed yesterday that he would pay N500,000.
“I don’t know how he planned it, but immediately after I got to the garri market on my bike, police officers who left Osun and came to Oyo hit my bike and I fell, then they arrested me.
“From there, we took the officers to Sarki’s house, because he was the one who gave us the man’s number, and he was also arrested by police officers from Osun State.”
The Seriki Fulani for Ayedire Local Government Area of Osun State, Sulaiman Oluwatoyin, said the suspects had tarnished the image of the Fulani.
Sulaiman said, “We are facing serious problems with kidnappers. It has become very serious in the South West. As a Seriki Fulani, I’m not happy that they are tarnishing the name of Fulani.
“We thank policemen for their prompt response always. In this case, the kidnappers engaged the police and shot one of them, yet the policemen arrested some of them. We thank the policemen.”
The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Kehinde Longe, said the suspects would be charged to court after investigation and that their fleeing colleagues would be arrested to also face the law.