Police Rescue 97-year-old kidnapped grandfather in Ogun forest, arrest suspect

The police in Ogun have arrested a member of a kidnap gang who abducted a 97-year-old man in Ijebu Ode.

Forty-year-old Emeka Obi and his accomplice simply identified as Prince and now on the run, had last Friday kidnapped the nonagenarian, Pa Amos Samaiye from his home in Ijebu Ode.

The kidnap gang members who demanded N1million as ransom from Samaiye’s family members had taken the 97-year-old man into a forest where they held him captive for four days.

The nonagenarian was however rescued by the police at about 4:00am on Tuesday morning from his abductors.

Parading the arrested gang member at the Divisional Police Headquarters in Igbeba, Ijebu Ode, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Valentine Ntomchukwu said Obi and his run-away accomplice kidnapped Pa Samaiye and demanded for a ransom.

Ntomchukwu however said a nocturnal operation carried out by the police between 2am and 5am on Tuesday resulted in bursting the syndicate, the rescue of the nonagenarian and the arrest of one of the kidnappers.

The police commissioner added that during the search for the kidnapped 97-year-old man, he asked the victim’s worried children to cooperate with the police by refraining from paying the N1million ransom demanded by their father’s abductors.

The rescued nonagenarian is currently recuperating from the shock of his kidnap at a private hospital in Ijebu-Ode.

The police boss said, “He and his runaway accomplice kidnapped a man of 97 years and took him right into the forest for four days before we were able to rescue baba early this morning. You can imagine. When this was reported to me, I said since these people are so wicked and heartless that they had to go ahead to kidnap a man of 97, this would be their waterloo.

“I called my officers and said we have to pray and work hard to get results and God would be with us because we have never seen such a reprehensible, terrible, wicked action of such men desperately in search of money. And God answered our prayers and we were able to rescue baba. You can see baba is hale and hearty and is recovering and we wish him quick recovery.”

The arrested gang member, Emeka Obi who claimed to be a bus driver, said he was introduced to kidnapping by his run-away accomplice.

Obi said that the gang had so far successfully carried out two kidnapping operations which fetched them millions of Naira.

But the police commissioner assured that the suspect would be arraigned in court as soon investigations were completed.

He added that the search for the run-away gang member would continue.