*Suspects: We
have 38 AK47 rifles in our camp
* Two more suspects arrested, N4.2m recovered
The Nigeria Police Force, Abuja, yesterday, said it
has arrested two more persons, who were involved in the abduction of eight
females from the Nigerian International Turkish College, Isheri, Ogun State.
The two suspects have been identified as
Egbasimokumo Ayeomi, 24, a native of Arogbo Town Ese-Odo Local Government Areas
of Ondo State and Super Alex, 21, a native of Opugba Town, also from Ese-Odo
Local Government Areas of Ondo State.
The suspects disclosed how their gang killed Aisha
Ali-Balogun, the presenter of the popular comedian show in 2016.
The suspects were arrested at Majidun area of
Ikorodu Lagos at about 4a.m on Monday. Policemen, who were on surveillance, spotted
them leaving the Ikorodu creeks in Majidun, holding some bags.
When the bags were searched, N3million was discovered.
They confessed to have taken part in the Turkish School Abduction.
The two men further confessed to have collected
N2million each from the ransom. Although they confessed to have received N2
million each, police recovered N3 million from both of them. The arrest of the
two suspects brings the total of those in police custody, connected to the Turkish
School kidnapping to eight.
Before the arrest of Ayeomi and Alex, six other
suspects, including a nurse, Felicia Weinoh, who specialized in treating
victims and members of the gang, had earlier been arrested.
One of the suspects, Bekewei Agbojule, arrested
earlier, confessed to have collected N1.2 million as his own share of the
ransom. Police recovered the money from him. The total money with police now,
is N4.2 million.
Ayeomi and Alex were arrested by operatives of the
Inspector-General of Police’s Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), led by
Assistant Commissioner of Police. Mr. Abba Kyari.
A police source said: “The two suspects were
arrested as they stepped out of the creek, in order to proceed to Ondo State.
Their share of the ransom, which is N3 million, was recovered from them. The
suspects have confessed to the abduction of the eight females. They also
confessed have carried out several other kidnappings within Lagos and Ogun
states.”
The eight females were abducted on January 3 from
their school premises at night.
Ayeomi and Alex confessed that they were behind the
December 2016 killing of a popular Comedy Show presenter, Stand up Nigeria,
Aisha Ali-Balogun.
It will be recalled that Ali-Balogun’s two-year-old
daughter and six others were abducted by the gunmen, who stormed Ikorodu Road,
clad in military uniforms.
Recalling how Ali-Balogun was killed, Alex said: “I
came to Lagos and joined kidnapping in 2016. One of my friends, Austin, invited
me to join. We worked with Stone, commander of our camp. Stone works under Ossy.
Ossy is our overall boss. We have 38 rifles in our camp, at Ajegunle area of
Ikorodu. We were seven who went for the operation. We shared ourselves into
three places.
“The first group was at the front, second in the
middle and the third, behind. It was people in the front that killed people. My
gang leader, American, was the person that killed the television presenter. He
said that he flagged the woman down; she was with a man and two children in her
car. The man ran out of the car with the children. The woman attempted to drive
off the car, he shot her. He abducted her daughter. He said the woman almost killed
him before he shot her. Stone, who is the leader of camp, was not happy with
the killing. We kidnapped six persons, including the woman’s two year-old
daughter. A ransom of N2million was paid before they were released. A man, who
claimed to be the woman’s husband, paid us N500, 000 before we released the
two-year-old girl. The other victims paid us, N1.5million. I got N45, 000 as my
share; we were many in the camp. Three
weeks ago, one of the leaders in our camp, Julius, brought the job of the
kidnapping of the Turkish School girls. When we kidnapped the girls, we didn’t
beat them. One of the students and the
white woman among them assured us that the money we demanded would be paid by
parents and school authorities. We use to beat our victims, and make them cry
on the phones while speaking with their relatives. I monitored the news, but I
didn’t know my colleagues had been arrested until I was arrested.”
Ayeomi said he was the house keeper in the camp. “I
was invited to join the gang by friends. The gang members told me they were expecting
big money. My job was to cook for the kidnappers and victims. I was also
expected to wash their clothes.”
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