Falae was kidnapped in his in Ilado in Akure North Local Government on September 21 by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
One of the suspects, Umar Ibrahim, said that although he did not envisage that the police would apprehend them, he added that his share of the ransom collected before the elder statesman was released was used in settling his debts. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into! I wouldn’t have joined the gang.
But I’m still happy that I was able to pay off my debts,” he said. After the kidnap of Falae, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase had deployed operatives of the Intelligence Responds Squad (IRS), an elite unit of the police to hunt the kidnappers down.
While IRS got the five members of the gang, the Department of the State Security Services (DSS) got two. The five suspects arrested by the police were Abubakar Auta, Idris Lawan, Umar Ibrahim, Masahudu Muhammed and Bello Tanu. Auta was arrested in Niger, while Lawan, Ibrahim, Muhammed and Tanu were arrested in Ekiti State.
The other two suspects, Usman Kato and Babawuro were arrested in Kogi by the DSS. IRS operatives recovered N823, 990:00, 12 SIM cards, the phone used to negotiate and collect the ransom and a Red Bajaj motorcycle with registration number KER 385 QA used to carry Falae to their camp after he became exhausted having trekked some kilometres.
It was gathered that after their arrest, the police carried out an identification parade, where Falae identified them. The identification paraded took place at the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), Ondo State Police Command. Falae swiftly identified two of the kidnappers, Umoru Ibrahim and Idris Lawan, as those who spent four days with him in the bush.
He said that Ibrahim once threatened to shoot him, while Lawan shouted at him on many occasions for looking at their faces. Auta alias Dojijo, Muhammed and Tanu played different roles in the operation. Auta, the leader of the gang, allegedly negotiated and collected the ransom. He, however, denied being a kidnapper.
Police said that Muhammed provided the gang with finance, while Janu brought expertise needed to execute the operation. Police described Janu as a seasoned kidnapper, adding that he had taken part in three high-profile kidnappings in Kogi State. Auta, 25, who has two wives, was trailed to his mansion in Minna, Niger State. Police believed that his mansion and four cars were proceeds of kidnapping.
He was apprehended when the police traced the call logs of the caller who negotiated the ransom to a location in Mina, Niger State. When Auta’s apartment was searched, the sum of N823, 990, which was part of the N5million paid as ransom to Falae’s kidnappers, was recovered.
The operatives also discovered that Auta had recently bought the mansion and three other cars; two Toyota Camry cars and an Avalon SUV. The recovered money, which was in various denominations, still had the stamp of the Akure branch of the bank where it was withdrawn, before it was handed to the kidnappers.
Auta denied taking part in the operation and explained that one of his friends, Lawan, used his SIM card for four days. He insisted that it was the same Lawan that brought the money to his house for safekeeping. Auta said: “I’m not involved in kidnapping.
Yes, my phone number was used for ransom negotiation, but I didn’t take part in the crime. The truth of the matter was that one of my friends, Idris Lawan, whom I met two months ago, came to my house few days before the last Sallah Celebration. He took one of my SIM cards.
When I returned home, my wife told me about it. “I called and asked him what he wanted to do with my SIM card. He told me that he wanted to use it for a job in Abuja. I don’t know where he lives or the kind of business he was into. But two days after the Sallah festival, he returned my SIM card and a bag containing a large sum of money.”
According to Auta, he wasn’t at home when Lawan returned the card and brought the bag of money. He said that one of his wives collected the items from Lawan and later handed them over to him. He said: “But the moment I inserted the SIM into my phone, the police showed up in my house and arrested me.
They accused me of kidnapping Chief Olu Falae. I told them that I only rear and sell cattle, but they didn’t believe me. I didn’t make my money in kidnapping. I made money through buying and selling of cattle. It was from that business I made money to build my house.
It was from that business I bought my four cars.” He claimed that he inherited over 40 cows from his late father, which he had since sold. Ibrahim, 24, from Kebi State, explained that Babaworu, his friend and a fellow cattle rearer, introduced him to kidnapping. Ibrahim confessed:
“Few days before the last Sallah, Babawuro came to meet me in Ado Ekiti. He borrowed the sum of N20, 000 from me. He promised he would pay me the next day. He however called and told me to meet him in Akure. “He said he had a job for me. I asked what sort of job. He said it was a lucrative farming job.
He said the job will pay me enough. I quickly borrowed the sum of N10, 000 from a woman in Ado Ekiti and I rushed down to Owo to meet him.” Ibrahim said that immediately he met with Babawuro, he took him into the bush where they both met with Lawan.
Thereafter, he said Babawuro left and asked them to wait for him. Ibrahim said: “When Babawuro left, I asked Lawan if he knew the nature of the job we were going to do. He said he didn’t know. I asked him if he knew Babawuro very well. He said Babawuro was also a cattle herdsman based in Okene.
He told me that he had met Babawuro a couple of time. He said when Babawuro called him that there was a big job that would fetch him good money; he abandoned his cattle and rushed down to Ondo State.” According to Ibrahim, while they were waiting, Babawuro, with five other people came to join them.
“Babawuro looked straight into my eyes and said that the job was armed robbery! I asked him where the robbery would take. He said we are going to sell a human being. I asked him how possible was it for us to sell a human being and make enough money for all of us. He said we were going to make the person pay us some money.
He said if the person refuses, we would allow him go after spending some days with us. He said we would go for another person,” recounted Ibrahim. Babawuro, according to him, later handed over two guns to two of the suspects. Ibrahim said: “Babawuro asked me to get a stick.
One of the Yoruba men, who were with us, had a cutlass with him. We proceeded to Chief Falae’s farm. We got to a stream close to farm and waited. We waited inside the water until we sighted a big vehicle driving into the farm. Babawuro signalled to us. He said that our target was in the farm.
He said we should move in. We crawled out of the water. Those with guns were in the front, shooting indiscriminately. We followed from behind. When we saw the Chief, we grabbed him! “One of our members, who had a cutlass, attacked Falae and injured him.
We took Falae and started trekking. Babawuro showed up with a motorcycle. He and one other member mounted the bike with chief and zoomed off.” Ibrahim recalled that they trekked for 12 hours before they reached where others were with Falae. Ibrahim said his job was to look after Falae, but another set of the gang was busy, calling his family and negotiating for ransom.
“Chief Falae was in our custody for four days before his family paid the ransom. Babawuro called us and said that we should all proceed to Abuja for share of the money. When I got there, I was given N100, 000. I quickly went to Ado Ekiti to pay off all my debts. “I gave N50, 000 to a man I borrowed N60, 000. I gave N10, 000 to the woman whom I borrowed money from in Owo. I also gave N7, 000 to someone I was indebted to. I spent the rest,” stated Ibrahim.
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