Abdullahi Muhammadu, a Department of State Services (DSS) officer assigned to the anti-kidnapping squad in the Okeogun area of Oyo State, testified in a Federal High Court in Ibadan on Wednesday.
He informed Justice E.U. Akpan that the cooperation of local security personnel significantly facilitated the arrest of suspected kidnappers.
“When we were informed that some kidnappers were operating along Iganna Road, we moved towards the scene and found out that a group of local vigilantes had engaged and curtailed them, we simply took over the rest of the operation from them.
“During our investigation, the suspects confessed that they were part of the kidnappers terrorising the people of Okeogun and travellers on Iganna routes.
“Moreover, we discovered that the two kidnappers, Aliyu Muhammadu and Idris Umar, are among the 400 inmates who escaped during the 2021 jailbreak in Abolongo Custodial Medium Centre in Oyo Town.
“Muhammadu and Umar confessed that on the day they were caught they had robbed some of their victims of N1.2 million, during our search, we were able to recover N500,000 in cash from the said N1.2 million.”
According to Muhammadu, one of their victims who escaped identified the second defendant as one of the kidnappers who held him hostage.
“The victim also explained that the kidnappers had initially demanded N50 million but after much pleading agreed to collect N10 million before the vigilantes eventually intercepted them,” Muhammadu explained.
The prosecution witness, represented by Mrs. Aderonke Imama, submitted the confessional statements of the defendants to the court. However, Mr. Femi Oyinloye, the Defense Counsel, opposed the admission of the confessional statements, stating that the defendants’ relatives were not present during their writing, and the prosecution denied him access to the statements.
During re-examination, the witness clarified that lawyers from the Legal Aid Council were present during the investigation and witnessed the defendants making their confessional statements. Subsequently, Justice Akpan accepted the confessional statements as evidence and adjourned the case until March 11 to continue the trial.
It is recalled that Aliyu Muhammadu, 22, and Idris Umar, 22, face charges related to alleged hostage-taking, highway robbery, unlawful possession of guns, and unlawful escape from correctional facilities.
