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Pastor, 12 others arrested for alleged kidnapping in Ekiti

By Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau)
28 July 2015   |   4:19 am
RESIDENTS of Ekiti State who have known Pastor Babatunde Balogun as a man of God were shocked when security agents yesterday paraded him and 12 others as kidnap suspects that have been terrorising the state in the last six months. The arrest was effected by the police and the Department of State Service (DSS).
FAYOSE

FAYOSE

RESIDENTS of Ekiti State who have known Pastor Babatunde Balogun as a man of God were shocked when security agents yesterday paraded him and 12 others as kidnap suspects that have been terrorising the state in the last six months. The arrest was effected by the police and the Department of State Service (DSS).

Also in connection with the arrests, the security agents also declared four persons wanted, urging the public to give useful information on how the culprits could be nabbed.

Those on the wanted list are: Kenneth Felix Ozoh, Jonathan Ozoh, Kehinde Adeleye and Sunday Ogunleye, who were accused of being behind the kidnap of a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr Femi Omisore, a priest with the Catholic Diocese, Rev Father Emmanuel Akingbade, among others recently kidnapped within the state.

The security agencies alleged that Balogun gave spiritual counseling to the suspected kidnappers and was said to have been sharing from the ransom collected from relatives of their victims.

While parading them in Ado Ekiti , the state capital on Monday, an event attended by Governor Ayodele Fayose, the DSS State Director , Mr Duke Fubara and the Police Commissioner, Mr Etop James, disclosed that the suspects had made confessional statements about their involvement in the criminal activities .

Fubara added that one Gbenga David,a.k.a Oruma, was accosted by his men in Osun State during the investigation and was shot while attempting to escape and is now receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

He said the efforts to rid the state of crimes and miscreants became fruitful, following synergy between the DSS and the police . “We could all attest to the fact that the kidnappers terrorized the state from the first week of May this year.

Their activities brought a lot of trauma to the people . “Though, some of the victims have been released, but we did not give in. We did investigation and we increased our network and the result is what you are seeing today. “What we found with the composition of these suspects was that some of them were inmates that escaped during the November 30, 2014 jailbreak in Ekiti”, Fubara said.

Also the Commissioner of Police said the Anti-kidnapping Squad of the Command is working round the clock to prevent resurgence of kidnapping in the state. Fayose appealed to opposition to stop politicizing kidnapping and other criminal acts, saying: “ it is a collective fight. We have to fight this together , so that all of us can sleep with two eyes closed.”

The governor, who lauded the security agencies for their gallantry lamented that Ekiti had been in turmoil since last year’s jailbreak in Ado Ekiti, urging the security operatives to step up efforts to bring the escapees back to prison. “

2 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Spiritual counselling is not a crime my dear. He shared proceeds? Maybe they paid their tithe

  • Author’s gravatar

    God Bless this beautiful land. I am Doctor Omer, Cuban Ophthalmologist who worked at UTH-Ado Ekiti for more than 10 months time in 2010. I appreciate this people so much. Nice people and beautiful country. I love Nigeria