EDO: Police arrest POS operator for collecting ransom for kidnappers

OPERATIVES of Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Unit of Edo Police Command, have nabbed an operator of Point of Sale (POS), identified as Gadimoh Ofei Bright, accused of assisting armed robbers/kidnappers to collect money from victims’ bank accounts.

Bright, who is said to be 29-years old, was arrested two days ago at Igarra, capital of Akoko-Edo local government area of the state, following discreet investigation through technical intelligence on a kidnap case.

It was gathered that Bright was arrested for a case involving several victims, including one Emmanuel Umuekele, kidnapped and robbed around Ugbowo axis of Benin City.

Money was transferred from the victims’ bank accounts as ransom to another bank account, before they were released.

The kidnap suspect who owns the bank account is presently cooling off in police custody.

A statement from the Command’s spokesman, SP Kontong Bello said the suspect confessed to have received the sum of N1,130,000, in this particular case, from the victims’ family before he was released.

He equally mentioned one Idowu Afhare (aka Warri), as the principal suspect now at large.
Exhibits recovered from him include two POS machines, 11 ATM cards with different names, five mobile phones with SIM cards and the sum of N156,000 cash.

Bello‘s statement also indicted a suspected Fulani herdsman-turned kidnapper, Saliu Sule.

Sule, who is 35-year-old, was intercepted alongside other suspects (still at large), by operatives of the command while on a routine patrol along Igarra/Ibillo Road.

The “suspect made confessional statement to be a kidnapper who used to rob and kidnap travelers along that axis.

“Investigation is now in progress while efforts are in progress to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.”

In a related incident, operatives of the anti-kidnapping and cyber crime unit of the command arrested one Chinweuba Okoye (36), who allegedly diverted a truck load of tiles since December 22nd 2020, and absconded from Lagos State.

“On receipt of the information, operatives of the command through technical intelligence geo-located the suspect to Igarra, in Edo state, where he was arrested.

“The suspect made confessional statement that he diverted the truckload of tiles to Anambra State, where he sold them out,” the PPRO said.

An orange-coloured mini-truck, with registration number AAH 412 ZV, was recovered from the suspect.

“To this end, the Commissioner of Police Edo State, CP Phillip Aliyu Ogbadu, reiterates the Command’s commitment towards safeguarding lives and property of the people of Edo State.

“The Police Commissioner called on the general public to continue to partner with the police, especially in the areas of information sharing,” the statement concluded.