Efforts by the police to track down perpetrators of the recent kidnap at Isheri North Estate Government Reserved Area, Lagos, have paid off with the arrest of the gang leader, Joseph Omoni by Police Intelligence Response Team, led by ACP Aba Kyari.
A police source confirmed to our correspondent on Wednesday that the 38-year-old suspect was arrested at Century Village in Ogijo Town, Ogun State.
The suspect was said to have confessed to being a notorious kidnapper and a part of the team that had carried out series of kidnapping around Lagos and suburbs recently.
Omoni confessed to have been part of such kidnap cases as those of the Isheri North Estate Secretary, the Nigerian Tulip (Turkish) International College, Ikorodu-Mile 12 road in which Aisha Ali-Balogun and one other were killed and nine persons including children were kidnapped.
The source stated, “On 14/2/17, at about 0400hrs, after unrelenting follow-up by IRT with technical intelligence support by TIU, a prominent member of the Isheri Estate Secretary kidnap team, Joseph Omoni, a native of Ajapa Community, Ese Odo, Ondo State was arrested by IRT operatives in Century Village in Ogijo town, Ogun State.
“The suspect confessed to the 19/12/16 kidnapping operation of Ikorodu-Mile 12 road and the Turkish School children kidnapping in Ogun State where he said he got N2 million he used for Buying tiles and windows to complete his house in Ogijo.”
The source added that the suspect allegedly received N250, 000 for being part of the Isheri Estate kidnap during which 3 security men were killed.
“I only got N250, 000 from the Isheri operation because the ransom was not much and they were many who shared the money,” the suspect was quoted to have said.
It was also gathered that “two houses built with proceeds from kidnapping by Omoni and his gang member, one Aka Chairman, has been identified and sealed off in Century Village, Ogijo.”
The police source assured that effort to arrest the remaining gang members was in progress.
