The ancient city of Osogbo, the Osun State capital has been infiltrated by some hoodlums engaging in daylight kidnapping of innocent residents.
Investigations by NewsClick Nigeria revealed that the hoodlums who engage in targeted attacks on innocent citizens operate on motorcycles.
A victim of this nefarious acts who spoke in confidence to NewsClick Nigeria said the hoodlums profile their victims before attacking.
‘Thugs now go round the state capital doing what I can call a mini kidnapping, they profile you and once they see you look good, smell nice and you dress well, they’ll chase you down with bike, pick you up while showing you guns and short knives, all these in the open,’ he said.
According to the source, the armed thugs upon cornering their targets take them to isolated to beat and extort them of their belongings, including cash.
‘They pick you after several threats and take you to an isolated place, sometimes bush, they’ll beat you and rip you of your money,’ he said.
‘They force you to give them your password while threatening to kill, they take your phone to different POS shops to do withdrawal and sometimes return your phone back to you.’
Another source who confided in NewsClick Nigeria said the thugs disguised with names of late colleagues so the won’t be traceable. According to the source, a staff of his organization was kidnapped about four weeks ago at the popular Captain Cook. He narrated how another person was also kidnapped on Tuesday and wasn’t released till he coughed out N360,000:00.
‘They go around using the name of dead thugs so that they can be untraceable.
A staff was hijacked at captain cook about four weeks ago, it happened around 4 pm, a brother was kidnapped as well yesterday (Tuesday) night around 8 pm at Olaiya while he was on bike, they released him at 11:30 after taking 360k from his account. We call on Governor Ademola Adeleke to do something before this insecurity consumes all all,’ he pleaded.
Another victim had this to say: ‘The sort of kidnapping has been going for weeks now and we all thought it wasn’t real. Unfortunately it was our turn today. These thugs came to the Tiwa n Tiwa’s office this afternoon (on Wednesday) to raid us but they were resisted and in the process they inflicted wounds on some of our boys.’
Police confirm development, says arrests made
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police Command has confirmed the development. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Yemisi Opalola in a terse response to NewsClick Nigeria‘s inquiry on the true situation of things said the development is true but the Force is on the top of it as arrests has been made.
‘It is true but we working on it. Presently we have made some arrest and we are still working,’ her statement reads.
