Kwara police tracks down kidnappers of mother of Labour Party chairman

KWARA State police command says pressure is being mounted on the four suspected kidnappers of a 71-year-old mother of the national chairman of the Labour Party, Mrs Elizabeth Omotosho, with the use of modern technology.

Speaking in Ilorin on Friday during a parade of the harvest of 24 suspected criminals in various parts of the state, the state commissioner of police, Lawan Ado, said that the command had been busy trying to unravel the crime and nab the kidnappers with tracking devices.

The police boss, who said that the command had earlier commenced an investigation with a “stop and search” method, added that his men had cordoned off identified hideout of the kidnappers.

He said that efforts were being intensified to rescue the aged victim unhurt.

However, the commissioner of police has paraded six suspected gunmen, who allegedly kidnapped one Usman Muhammad of Sabo Osi in Ekiti local government area of the state on November 7.

He said that the suspects, who had allegedly collected a sum of N500,000 ransom from family members of the victim, had confessed to the crime, adding that a total sum of N361,150, two single barrel guns, seven cell phones (including that of the victim), and dangerous charms was recovered from them.

The paraded suspects also include eight persons arrested for criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, culpable homicide and for being members of a secret cult, while items such as one single barrel locally made gun, one double barrel locally-made gun, and five cartridges were said to have been recovered from the suspects.

Also paraded were two out of four-man armed robbery gang, said to specialise in attacking filling stations in the metropolis by tying up security guards and collecting an itel phone and a sum of N35, 500.

The police boss, who said that exhibits such as iron rod, two techno phones, one itel phone and a sum of N38, 975 were recovered from the victims, added that the two suspects had confessed to the crime, stressing that efforts were on to arrest remaining gang members said to be in possession of firearms.

Other suspects paraded were said to have been arrested for armed robbery cases and vandalism of electricity transformer.