BY AHMED AJIKOBI
Men of Kwara State Police command have arrested a dismissed soldier, Abdulsalam Mohammed and his accomplice, Idowu Samad over alleged attempt to kidnap.
The suspects were said to have planned to abduct one Jimoh Balogun for ransom of N50m, Pilot Crime has learnt.
Luck was said to have ran out on the suspects when their alleged plan was leaked by a security operative, Sunday Francis whom they had approached to lend them his service pistol for the operation.
According to a police source, the case was reported at the police headquarters by Balogun, who said he got winds of the planned kidnap.
“The man reported that he received information that some people were planning to kidnap him. He later got to know that Samad was behind the plan.โ
The police source further said that the suspects were arrested following intelligence operation and investigation by security operatives.
“During investigation it was revealed that sometime ago, Samad recruited a dismissed soldier, Abdulsalam Mohammed for a task of kidnapping and both connived to kidnap Jimoh for ransom.
“Further investigation also revealed that Samad secured a building at Eiyenkorin, where they planned to hold the victim hostage during the period of negotiating a ransom of N50 million with his relatives.
“Their heinous plan was, however, exposed by a police officer attached to the special protection Unit Base ‘8’ Lokoja who was on duty in Kwara State.
“Samad confessed during interrogation that the suspects approached the police officer to lend them his service pistol for the operation. The officer leaked their plan, which led to their arrest,” the source added.
Speaking on the development, on Saturday on telephone chat the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the case, said further investigation is ongoing on the matter.
He added that the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.
