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A 52-year-old Islamic teacher, identified as Jubril Ibrahim, has been arrested by operatives of the Edo State Police Command for allegedly preparing charms for suspected kidnappers.
Ibrahim was paraded alongside four suspected kidnappers accused of terrorising communities in Edo North Senatorial District, particularly the Auchi, Jattu and Okpella axis.
The Islamic teacher, the four suspected kidnappers and nine other suspects were paraded by the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Patrick Daaor, who said the suspected kidnappers were arrested in Niger State following intelligence gathering.
According to the police commissioner, the arrests followed sustained intelligence efforts aimed at tracking down criminal elements operating across the affected areas.
Ibrahim, however, denied preparing charms for the suspected kidnappers, claiming that he only prays for one of them, whom he said the suspect’s mother asked him to pray for because of his frequent travels.
The Islamic teacher spoke through an interpreter: “I gather Almajiri and teach them the Qur’an. So, Ahmadu Suleiman’s mother came to me and said I should be praying for her son, that he travels a lot, so I should pray for his safe trip to and from, and that is what I have been doing. I pray for him to have a safe trip.”
When asked if he knew Suleiman had an AK-47 rifle in his possession, the Islamic teacher admitted that he knew the suspect had a gun.
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In his confession, the 24-year-old Suleiman said he was involved in only one operation in Auchi, adding that he works with various kidnapping syndicates across the country before returning to his base in Niger State.
Suleiman, who also spoke through an interpreter, said: “When we get to the community, we look for a beautiful house and shoot into the air, and in the process of scampering for their lives, they run out, and we hold them and take them to the bush, and demand for money. I got one million naira from the Auchi operation, and that was the only kidnapping I involved myself in that area.”
Asked whether they had informants, the suspect said they had no informants but only looked out for fancy cars and buildings whenever they wanted to carry out a kidnapping.
Also paraded was a 21-year-old suspect who allegedly stole a one-and-a-half-year-old baby at Ring Road, Benin.
The commissioner, however, said the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigations.
He commended the Edo State Government for its continued support and lauded other sister security agencies for their cooperation and collaboration in the ongoing fight against crime and criminality in the state.
