Suspect, Adekunle Olarinde
A suspected kidnapper who had threatened a private university in Oyo with a letter has now been arrested alongside some criminals with varying degrees of offenses by the Police Department in Oyo.
The arrest which was made known by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Adebowale Williams, said a notorious kidnapping syndicate, Adekunle Olarinde, sent a ‘’Hand-Written” note to the management of the Institution and threatened to abduct three of its students if the management fail to pay-up a sum of Ten Million Naira within a stipulated period.
The Commissioner however expressed that the threat, as expected disrupted academic activities within the University, stirring up panic and uncertainty among the institution’s community
Speaking through the police public relations officer, Mr Olawale Osifeso, he further revealed that upon the information, some discreet forensic based investigations were carried out which led to the arrest of one Azeez Mufutau whose phone number was inscribed on the ‘Hand-written notes’ sent to the institution’s management.
Mr Williams noted that the syndicate decided to extend a similar hand-written notification to a branch office of a new generation bank within Owode Area in Oyo with the intentions of invading it later in the week.
The suspect, Adekunle Olarinde denied the allegation levelled against him and said he sent the letter to implicate his friend by puting his number in the letter as a decoy for the purpose of concealing his direct involvement.
The suspect was paraded at the police headquarters, Eleyele Ibadan alongside other suspected criminals, who were arrested for various offences ranging from kidnapping, robbery, car snatching and other related criminal offences.
Reacting to the developments, the vice-chancellor of the university who pleaded anonymity said the letter created panic and fear to them and that made him to instantly send a report to the police and DSS.
The VC therefore called on all authorities in Nigeria institutions’ to beef up security in their environment for the sake of the lives of their students.
Other suspected criminals who were paraded alongside the suspected kidnapper confessed to the accusations levelled against them and pleaded for leniency.
Their offence read the kidnap and robbery of six traders whom they took to a thick forest and dispossessed them of eight cell phones, and 180 kegs of palm oil valued at 3.6 million naira.
Other exhibits found with them are a double barrel locally made gun, a live cartridge, a Mazda bus, and a Toyota Corolla car with registration number, SMK 330 FD.
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