Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Seven suspected kidnappers were yesterday arrested by police operatives at Auga and Akunu Akoko in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The suspects were nabbed by the combined efforts of security operatives in the State and local hunters. Three of the abductors were said to have escaped from their captivity and alerted some local hunters who in turn informed the security operatives in the area.
It was gathered that the kidnappers had last week Wednesday abducted a secondary school teacher, Alhaji Jamiu Zakariyahu, who was returning from a mosque in the evening.
Zakariyahu was reportedly bundled into a waiting vehicle and was dragged into the forest. They walked throughout the night before getting to the kidnapper’s den. The suspects had initially demanded N10million ransom from relatives of their victims before they were caught.
“The kidnappers reduced the ransom to N250,000 and waiting for the payment of the ransom before the victims could be released. But one of the victims was able to escape and met a local hunter who informed security operatives in the town and they combed the forest which led to the arrest of the kidnappers,” the source added.