Manager held for kidnapping Chinese

A hotel manager, Lucky Akinnuoye and his partner in crime, Adegbayi Akinmusayo, have been arrested for kidnapping a Chinese national at Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State Akure.

Detectives attached to the Ondo State Police Command however rescued the 25-year-old Jiang Peng Fei before payment of ransom.

According to the police, the suspects, two days earlier, allegedly visited the plywood company of the Chinese national, JHX Plywood Factory, located at Akinfosile in Omotoso area of Ore, posing as their customers.

Unknown to the staff of the factory, the suspects actually came on a surveillance of the offices.

A police source said that three suspected kidnappers stormed the office of the Chinese national at about 5pm and whisked him away.

The suspects were armed with locally made pistols. They later made contacts and demanded ransom.

The police source further said: “The suspects were picked before they could settle down to negotiation. Immediately the command got information about the kidnap of the Chinese, a team of policemen was drafted. It was through a well-coordinated operation that we were able to rescue the victim unhurt!”

It was gathered that the detectives stormed the hideout of the kidnappers and arrested one of them.

Akinnuoye, described as the prime suspect, was arrested in his hotel, where his members lodged for four days before carrying out the kidnapping.

According to the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Mr. Femi Joseph, Akinnuoye was the Manager of Keneri Hotel, Ore.

Joseph said that the suspects planned the operation in the hotel.

Joseph said: “Efforts are ongoing to arrest other suspects involved in the kidnap.”

The suspects have however denied being kidnappers. The suspected insisted that they were wrongfully arrested.

Akinnuoye said: “I’m the manager of the hotel that hosted the suspected kidnappers, but I didn’t know their mission in the town. I regret hosting the suspects in his hotel.”

Stating his own side of the story, Akinmusayo said: “I was the one that carried the suspected kidnappers to the factory, unaware of their. I’m not a member of the gang! I’m just a commercial driver!”