Members of a kidnap syndicate in Shagamu area of Ogun State have been apprehended by operatives of the police command in the state.
The kidnap group is largely made up of members of one family.
According to the spokesman of the police, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the arrest of the men followed a thorough investigation carried out by the police.
He said sequel to series of kidnap cases within Shagamu and its environs in the year 2020, the Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, gave a matching order to the area commander and all the DPO in Shagamu to fish out those behind the dastardly act within the shortest possible period.
Oyeyemi said in compliance with the directive, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Shagamu division, CSP Okiki Agunbiade, and his crack detectives with the support of Shagamu security council under Akarigbo of Remo land embarked on intelligence and technical based investigation.
The efforts led to the arrest of one Oweniwe Okpara from Delta State and three of his children namely; Samson Okpara, Bright Okpara and Eze Okpara as well as one Christian Ishaha who accommodated them.
They were all arrested in Ajaka area of Shagamu for their roles in the kidnap of eight persons at different times in Shagamu and other areas.
In the course of investigation, it was discovered that three other members of the family constituting the criminal gang namely; Godwin Okpara, Godspower Okpara and Mathew Okpara are the armed squad of the syndicate, while Samson, Bright and Eze Okpara were the one spying on their targeted victims.
One Emmanuel Joseph, a native of Ebele in Edo State was later recruited into the fold, having confronted their sister Eze Okpara to tell him the source of money they used to count everyday.
They subsequently opened up to him that they were into kidnap business and he also joined them.
Among the victims of the gang is one Okechukwu Onwubiko who was kidnapped on the June 4, 2019.
They also kidnapped one Omotayo Sobowale on June 16, 2020, while one Lamidi Akeem was abducted by the same gang on July 20, 2020.
On November 3, 2020, the gang kidnapped one Mrs. Areoye Olufunke, and barely a week after, on November 11, 2020, they abducted another person, one Mrs. Adijat Adeleye and Ashaye Olayinka Tobi was also kidnapped on November 12.
Having heard about the arrest of their father and their three siblings, Godwin, Godspower and Mathew Okpara took to flight and ran to Delta State with their operational car and their arms where they were subsequently apprehended by the Delta State police command after carrying out another kidnapping there.
Their camp located at a forest in Ayepe-Ijebu where their father used to farm before converting it to a camp was located by policemen led by the DPO in Shagamu and subsequently destroyed.
Items recovered at the camp include three expended cartridges, cooking gas, tarpaulin, cooking utensils, women bags and twine.
The Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, who expressed satisfaction with the intelligence and painstaking investigation of the detectives has reiterated the stand of the command not to relent in accomplishing the onerous task of providing adequate security for the people of Ogun State.
He, therefore, appealed for cooperation of the general public in the area of giving useful information that would assist in eliminating criminals from the entire state.
