I was only given N50,000 to take care of my sick father

The Kwara State Police Command has arrested four suspects for their involvement in kidnapping around Omu-Aran axis of the state.

The suspects, identified as Musa Kadir (25), Isah Salihu (20), Suleiman Abubakar and Abdullahi Babatunde, where said to have kidnapped Are Nda of Fulani, Aliyu Harande, from the mosque while praying.

Pilot Crime gathered that the victim was kidnapped right behind his house and an undisclosed amount of money paid by his family to secure his release.

One of the suspects, Abdullahi Babatunde, who claimed that he was not involved in the kidnapping, said that he was only given the sum of N50,000 by one of his friends called Tunde to pay for the medical bills of his father.

According to him "I'm a resident of Emir's road in Ilorin, my father was sick so he was taken to Omu-aran for treatment, when he got to the hospital I was asked to bring N50,000 for treatment and his drugs".

" I could not afford that so I ran to meet Tunde, who has been my childhood friend to help me out, on getting to him I narrated my ordeals and he promised to help, he instructed me to follow him to somewhere which I didn't know".

"I was taken in his car to a place, which I don't know, when we got there I saw a Fulani man who drove into the compound and he instructed me to narrate my story to the Fulani man, I did and he gave me the sum of N 20,000, Tunde gave me N20,000 and another friend gave me N10,000 making the N50,000".

"I was not involved in any kidnapping not until I saw police officers who came to arrest me for being involved in a kidnapping".

Also, one of the suspects, Suleiman Abubakar, said the kidnap of the Sarkin Fulani was his first operation and he was given the sum of N50,000.

"I swear to God, this is my first time of involving in such act, I have never done it before, I'm a iron bender, I pray that any of you will never fall victim of a friend who will put you in trouble, I was influenced and also introduced by my friend Tunde, who is at large now".

"He didn't tell me that we will kidnap someone, he called me to tell me that he wants to punish someone who offended him, we went to our victim's house to take him away and some amount was collected from the family".

"The sum of N50,000 that was given to me was used to care for my needs and also family needs".

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed that the command arrested some members of a kidnapping syndicate.

"Behind PHCN office Omu-Aran, while praying in a mosque behind his house, one Sarkin Fulani by name Aliyu Harande was kidnapped and taken away by a group of kidnappers and an undisclosed amount of money was paid by his family as ransom".

"On the receipt of the report, the command's Anti-Kidnapping Unit swung into action, working on an intelligence report, four suspects were arrested, their operational vehicle and guns were recovered, they confessed to have been responsible for the kidnapping cases around the Omu-Aran axis, the leader of the syndicate, one Tunde Mumuni and one Sa'ad are presently at large".

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