Police have arrested a gang of kidnappers of a Lebanese businessman in Podo area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The kidnappers, Joseph Udoma, 35, Mathew Egbulu, 23, Samuel Agu, 32, and Monday Omugbe, with the help of an accomplice stormed the block making firm of the Lebanese, Elias Bashour.
After robbing workers of their valuables, which included money and mobile telephones, they kidnapped Bashour and took him to a forest along Ijebu Ode road.
The state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude, said the criminals were yet to contact Bashour’s family before they were arrested in their hideout.
He said, “On September 13, 2017 at about 10.30 pm a five-man kidnap syndicate invaded a block making industry at Podo area of Ibadan and robbed workers of their mobile telephones, cash and other valuable property. The gang, armed with guns and other dangerous weapons kidnapped Bashour, who is a Lebanese and who is the owner of the industry.
“They took him away to an unknown place. As soon as information got to the police, patrol teams along the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode axis were alerted and they went after them. They were forced to abandon the vehicle conveying them and the victim. The suspects escaped to the bus but the vehicle was recovered.
“After investigation, three members of the gang were eventually arrested at their criminal hideouts in Ilese, via Ijebu-Ode and Ibiade waterside in gun State.
“They disclosed that a member at large named Sunday supplied the information and coordinated the operation that led to the adoption of the victim.”
One of the kidnappers said that the Lebanese begged them to release him and that he would give them huge amount of money but they feared that he could involve the police at the point of collecting the money from him.
