Police detain, quiz Anisulowo’s aides, move kidnappers to Abuja
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NIGERIA: THE leader of the arrested suspects who kidnapped the former Minister of State for Education, Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, has been transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
His fellow accomplices were also moved with him for interrogation, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, disclosed this on Sunday.
He spoke at the meeting he held with the state chapter of the Police Community Relations Committee at the Officers’ Mess, Ibara, Abeokuta.
Ali, who spearheaded the state police team that rescued Anisulowo, also disclosed that three suspects working with the former minister have been detained and being quizzed at the state command headquarters, Eleweran.
According to him, the move is meant to ascertain their level of complicity or otherwise in the abduction of their boss.
“The kingpin and two others have been transferred to Abuja,” the Commissioner said. “Apart the kingpin, we picked one of his girl friends from Ilorin and another in Lagos.”
He added: “We also arrested three of the workers of the former minister who we are presently working on at the command, while Abuja is working on the other ones.”
Ali denied rumour that the kingpin of the kidnappers is a Fulani man.
“He is a Nigerian and Yoruba to be precise,” the police boss said while adding that before the abductors were nabbed the police had negotiated N10 million with them as ransom.
After this negotiation, according to Ali, another suspected kidnapper called from Port Harcourt claiming to be part of
the gang and demanded N800, 000 be paid into a particular bank account.
Ali said that the police refused to make the payment and shortly after the leader and other suspects were arrested while the former junior Minister was freed.
He said: “We declined to make any transfer and shortly after that the kingpin and other suspects were arrested and Mama (Minister) was rescued unhurt.”
Ali, however, cautioned other criminals in the state to shun crimes as they would be fished out wherever they are hiding, just as he counselled against payment of ransom by relatives of kidnapping victims.
The Commissioner stressed that payment of ransom would only encourage the criminals to continue in their dastardly act.
