The police command in Edo says it foiled an alleged kidnap bid and arrested four suspected kidnappers while on township surveillance patrol on Ugbor road at GRA in Benin.

This is contained in a statement by a spokeswoman Jennifer Iwegbu for the command.

The suspects were Ayo Jeremiah Obazuwa, 50, Sule Kelson Jubril, 34, Silas Uwana, 33, and Ogbonmwan Jude, 37, the police disclosed. It stated that Mr Obazuwa wore military regalia and claimed to be a military captain during his arrest.

“Operatives of Edo state police command, while on township surveillance patrol on 10/09/2022 along Ugbor road, GRA Benin, stopped a suspicious Toyota Corolla car with Reg. no USL929SS with five occupants,” said the command. “On a closer survey of the occupants of the car, one of the suspects, who later was identified as Ayo Jeremiah Obazuwa, was in complete military regalia and claimed to be a captain.”

The command added that another occupant, later identified as Joseph Bulus, 32, was seen in handcuffs, which led to all the occupants being taken to state CID for further investigation.

According to the statement, during the preliminary investigations, Mr Obazuwa confessed to being a civilian, not a soldier.

Mr Bulus stated that he was in his house when the suspect came in the company of three others under the guise of giving him a job but rather handcuffed him. He alleged being dragged into the boot of a car and whisked away before he was later removed from the boot and made to sit in the car.

The police said the suspects had been charged to court on Monday under a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony and kidnapping punishable under the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

(NAN)