MICHAEL AKINOLA
Operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS, have demonstrated capacity by tracking suspected kidnapper, Kolawole Ebenezer Gboyega, after he provided his bank account for the payment of N10.6m ransom in Lagos State.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that a victim, Ojo Oluremi Michael, was kidnapped by unknown members of a kidnapping syndicate in April, 2023 on his way to work and kept in captivity for some days.
While he was in captivity, the kidnappers then contacted his family with a phone number, 07041730553 and directed the family to pay the ransom or they will kill him hence the family became jittery and started making efforts to raise the money.
The family reportedly raised the money and asked the kidnappers to provide account details, where the money will be paid into for them to release the victim, which involved Gboyega, who provided his Opay account and the money was paid into the account before the victim was released.
However, the operatives of the DSS were contacted and the details of the transaction were provided hence the owner of the account, Gboyega, was tracked, eventually arrested in Ekiti State and brought back to Lagos State for further investigation in order to apprehend the rest of the members of the syndicate.
Following the arrest, the DSS has filed a suit before Yaba Magistrate Court asking for remand order for Gboyega in custody to enable the operatives to properly investigate and apprehend the other suspects now at large.
Thus, the Presiding Magistrate, Mr. P. Nwaka, granted the order and Gboyega was remanded in custody over a period pending the conclusion of investigations by the operatives.