IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)– A commercial cyclist, Shittu Adesina, who faked his kidnap, has been arrested and in police custody in Ondo State.
Mr Adesina, who was given a Bajaj Tricycle with Reg No FGB 016 VL valued at N1.6 million on ‘hired purchase’, had called the owner of the tricycle claiming that he was kidnapped while asking him to assist in paying ransom for his release.
The long arms of the law, however, caught up with the suspect who had earlier claimed that he was in Badagry, Lagos, not Igoba, Akure where he claimed he was being held hostage.
Mr Adesina was arrested together with the tricycle and brought back to Akure.
In a related development, two suspects have been arrested in Ondo State for kidnapping a local businesswoman.
Operatives of the anti-kidnapping squad of the Nigeria police in Ondo arrested the suspects after abducting one Folashade Akinloye from her shop at Ofosu in Idanre town of Ondo.
The suspects, Oluwatosin Olaoye and Olamide Taiwo, were said to have seized and drove Mrs Akinloye away to an unknown destination with a Toyota Camry (ashes colour) with Reg No. AKD 797 AP.
Parading the suspects before journalists on Tuesday, spokeswoman for the police in Ondo, Funmilayo Odunlami, said the two men had allegedly been involved in a series of kidnappings in the state.
Ms Odunlami explained that the suspects had earlier abducted two women; Folashade Akinselure and Stephen Stella respectively.
“A team of Policemen attached to the Anti-Kidnapping squad swung to action and the suspects were eventually apprehended, they confessed to the Commissioner of the crime while the victims were rescued unhurt,” the police spokeswoman added.
Ms Odunlami listed the items recovered from the suspects to include the vehicle and two cutlasses used during their operations, saying that they would soon be charged to court after investigation.