Rotimi's wife's kidnap: Arrested couple raise alarm over Oyo police extortion

Even though Mrs Titilayo, wife of the former Military Administrator in Oyo state, Brigadier General Oluwole Rotimi, who was on Monday, December 10, 2012 abducted in Ibadan by some unknown gunmen has since been released, and flown overseas to join her husband, many people have continued to recount their tales of woe in the hands of the investigation team of the Oyo Police command.

A woman, Ruth Adekiya, who lived with the abducted Mrs Rotimi until she got wedded, and was living with her husband, Mathew Adubi Adekiya at Akute in Lagos state, was on Wednesday, 26th December, 2012 arrested by the Oyo police when she visited the GRA residence of her benefactor to solidarize with her upon hearing of her release.

Upon arrest, she was taken to the Iyaganku Division, where she was detained allegedly to determine her culpability in the abduction case.

Her husband, Mathew, was also arrested in Lagos the following day and detained along with his wife.

Having spent six days in detention, without getting anything to link her with the crime, Ruth was released. The release, according to Nigerian Compass, was effected after the suspect had parted with N160,000.

Her husband, who until the time of filing this report, was still in the police custody, Nigerian Compass reliably gathered, was on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, asked to produce N250,000 before he could be released.

Unable to produce the sum, Mathew has continued to languish in cell until yesterday, according to a relation of his, who alerted the press of the harrowing condition they have been subjected to since the arrest.

Ten staff of the haulage firm at Alakia area of Ibadan, where Mrs Titilayo was abducted, had initially been arrested before the Adekiya couple were also arrested and detained.

When contacted to react to the condition of release of Ruth, and non-release of Mathew, owing to his inability to produce the N250,000 requested from him, the Police Public Relations Officer Ayodele Lanade (Deputy Superintendent of Police), told Nigerian Compass that he knew nothing about the issue of money collected.

His words, "I don't know anything about money being collected. If you want to confirm that, you have to meet the officers in charge of the investigation. One thing I know is that bail is free".

When the relation of the Adekiya family was again contacted yesterday, he insisted that Mathew would have been released, but for the condition of N250,000 he was being asked to pay, which they could not afford, and did not believe was necessary since he could not be connected to the abduction.