The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a commercial motorcyclist and six others in connection with the abduction of Mr. Omoniyi Samuel, a lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko.
Police spokesperson, Ayandele Olayinka, said the prime suspect, 45-year-old Benson Alaba of Akungba-Akoko, had regularly conveyed the lecturer to his workplace and allegedly exploited this familiarity to monitor his movements for the gang.
According to the police, Alaba visited the victim’s residence under the pretext of requesting a handset— a calculated move to gather intelligence and create an opportunity for the abduction.
Shortly afterwards, other members of the syndicate stormed the lecturer’s home and whisked him away.
One suspect, 42-year-old Ogungbemi Wasiu of Okeruwa, Ikare, allegedly provided the Itel phone used to contact the victim’s family with a ₦5 million ransom demand.
The five other suspects—Audu Shaibu, Ismaila Abdullahi, Nuru Bature, Usman Baba, and Yusuf Muhammed—were said to have carried out the physical abduction and negotiated directly with the family.
The command dismissed earlier rumours that the suspects were arrested while sharing ransom money, stressing that the arrests followed discreet, intelligence-led operations.
The lecturer is currently receiving treatment at the university’s health centre. Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, assured that all those involved will face the full weight of the law, while efforts continue to track down fleeing members of the syndicate.
