Police Arrest Four Suspected Kidnappers, Islamic Teacher In Edo
A 52-year-old Islamic teacher, who identified himself as Jubril Ibrahim, has been arrested by the Edo State Police Command for allegedly preparing charms for kidnappers.
Ibrahim was paraded alongside four suspected kidnappers on Tuesday at the Edo State Police Command for allegedly terrorising residents of the Edo North Senatorial District, particularly in the Auchi, Jattu and Okpella axes.
Parading Ibrahim, the suspected kidnappers and six other suspects, the Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daor, said the suspected kidnappers were arrested in Niger State following intelligence gathering.
Ibrahim, however, denied preparing charms for the suspected kidnappers, claiming that he only prayed for one of them after the suspect’s mother asked him to do so because of his frequent travels.
The Islamic teacher, who spoke through an interpreter, said, “I gather Almajiri and teach them the Qur’an. So, Ahmadu Suleiman’s mother came to me and said I should be praying for her son, that he travels a lot, so I should pray for his safe trip to and from, and that is what I have been doing. I pray for him to have a safe trip.”
When asked if he knew Suleiman had an AK-47 rifle in his possession, the Islamic teacher admitted that he knew the suspect had a gun.
In his confession, the 24-year-old Suleiman said he was involved in only one operation in Auchi, adding that he worked with various kidnapping syndicates across the country before returning to his base in Niger State.
Suleiman, who also spoke through an interpreter, said, “When we get to the community, we look for a beautiful house and shoot into the air, and in the process of scampering for their lives, they run out, and we hold them and take them to the bush, and demand for money. I got One Million Naira from the Auchi operation, and that was the only kidnapping I involved myself in that area.”
Asked if they had informants, the suspect said they had no informants but looked out for fancy cars and buildings whenever they went on kidnapping operations.
Also paraded was a 21-year-old suspect who allegedly stole a baby at Ring Road, Benin, while a stolen car was also recovered.
Also speaking, the PPRO of the command, Eno Ikoedem, said the arrests were possible due to intelligence gathered by men of the command, urging the public to assist the police with credible information at all times.
