The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of two suspected kidnappers believed to be responsible for the killing of a 71-year-old man in Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State.
One of the arrested suspects, Chukwuma Bartholomew, has alleged that after the victim’s family paid the ransom, he was taken to a forest and shot around 4 a.m. by his accomplice, Ifeanyi Benjamin, who has since gone into hiding and remains untraceable.
Despite his involvement in the kidnapping, Bartholomew claimed ignorance about the total ransom amount collected from the victim’s family, revealing that he only received 300,000 Naira after the operation. He stated that his role was to accompany the gang to the locations where they would abduct their victims.
Bartholomew told Channels TV, “I was introduced into the kidnapping business by one of my friends living in Ijebu Igbo. My job was to manage a fish pond business, but my brother, who had relocated to Ebonyi State, came back about two years ago and initiated me into this kidnapping business. My role was to accompany them to the place where they would kidnap the victims.”
He further explained, “When we kidnapped the elderly man, we led him into the bush and started asking for ransom. Our gang leader told the family that if they delayed in paying the money, they would kill the man. After collecting the money from his family, we took the man to a forest and shot him there around 4 a.m. The person who shot him was my brother, Ifeanyi Benjamin, who has run away, and I don’t know where he is right now. I was only given 300,000 Naira, but I don’t know how much they collected from the family.”
The police in Ogun State have confirmed the arrest of the two suspects and are currently investigating the incident to ensure that the fleeing accomplice is apprehended and brought to justice.
