DSS Arrest 5 Ransom Negotiators For Kidnappers In Ogun, Lagos States
Posted on March 13, 2017
CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
The Department of State Security, DSS and other security agencies have made a remarkable breakthrough in tackling kidnapping, vandalism, robbery and other criminal activities in Ogun and Lagos States.
This followed the arrest of five suspects believed to be kidnappers’ accomplices who assist them to negotiate and obtain ransom on behalf of the kidnappers from their victims through their relations in Ogun and Lagos States.
The suspects are 60-year old Lawrence Maffoetan, Bipa Williams, Aduoye Kopa, Collins Oyibo and Adeoye Sunday.
They were all arrested within the creeks in the riverine areas that cut across Ogun and Lagos States which included Elepete, Ikorodu, Ita Oluwa, Ajegunle, Ikotun and others.
The suspects claimed they were the natural inhabitants of the creek area where they have lived for several years.
Apart from negotiating and obtaining ransom on behalf of kidnappers, our correspondent gathered the suspects were also aiding vandals in the sabotage of petroleum products pipelines.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that their arrests followed a painstaking investigation by a joint security team comprising DSS, Civil Defence, Military and Police tasked with the responsibility of flushing kidnappers in those two states.
Our correspondent learnt that the suspects were trailed after they started negotiating for ransom from the relations of the victims and subsequently obtaining from them.
A security source told P.M.EXPRESS that their phones and their movement were tracked for several weeks before the officers moved against them and arrested them at their various hideouts, while some of their accomplices escaped.
With their phones recovered, this will now assist the security agents to carry out more investigations on their activities which have polarized and caused security breach in those two states.
The suspects, who had been detained for several weeks because of the nature of the investigation, were brought to a Lagos court for remand last week Wednesday for further investigation.
They were brought before Isolo Magistrate’s court where the presiding Magistrate (name witheld) ordered their remand as demanded by DSS for further investigation on their activity.
Every effort to speak with the team of DSS that brought them to court proved abortive as they were not willing to speak to our correspondent.
However, our correspondent managed to gather that the suspects admitted that they were actually negotiating with the relations of the victims and had facilitated the releases of some victims.
One of the suspects, Maffoetan said some victims were kidnapped and taken to captivity but he was contacted to effect their release which he successfully did before he was arrested.
He admitted that he was given some amount of money for the negotiation he did on behalf of the victims.
He said he was aware the kidnappers were living among them but could not speak out because he and his family have lived in the same area for over 30 years before the issue of kidnapping became rampant.
The suspects were remanded in prison custody at Kirikri following the order of the court for further investigation on the matter.
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