Lagos school kidnap: Police arrest 3

By Christopher Oji

The deployment of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in the rescue operation relating to the kidnap of students in Lagos recently has paid off, as three of the suspects have been arrested.
Six students of Lagos State Model College, Epe, were abducted last Thursday and taken to the creeks, near Ode Omi, Ogun State. The kidnappers had demanded a N400 million ransom.
Following the delay in their rescue, Idris ordered the IRT, led by ACP Abba Kyari, to assist the Lagos State Police Command to fish out the hoodlums and rescue the school children.
Daily Sun gathered that the IRT yesterday arrested three key members of the militant group believed to be behind the crime.
The  suspects, who were arrested in Edo State, reportedly left the creek for Benin to visit one of their key commanders injured during the  recent gun battle with security agents at Ode Omi.
A senior police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “The suspects, Egelu, aka Jubby, 25, a native of Abere town in Ovia South LGA of Edo; Stanley, aka Powei, 25, from Ovia South, and   Bentel, 24, also from Ovia South, confessed  to have participated in the kidnap of the Epe school  children.
“They have also confessed to the kidnappings of prominent personalities in Lagos and Ogun states, including the Oniba of Iba, Turkish School kidnapping and the Isheri landlords’ kidnapping.
“The suspects equally confessed that  they came to Benin to see their injured gang member and relax for a while before going back to the creek.”
The police officer said useful information had been got from the suspects.
He, however, said the police would not make their findings public, even as more efforts were being made “to see that we arrest the remaining gang members and rescue the school children.”
About 24 hours after the Epe kidnap, marine police had traced the hoodlums to their hideouts in Ogun State, but were ambushed by the bandits who engaged them in a gun battle.
In the confrontation, over 20 hoodlums were shot dead, while nine policemen were seriously injured.

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