Six suspected kidnappers, including a final-year student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago-Iwoye (name withheld) have been arrested by the Ogun Vigilante Service, OVS.
The Public Relations Officer of the Service, Soji Ganzallo, told journalists in Abeokuta that the suspects had on Thursday trailed one Aremu Peters from his office at Number 86, Ibadan Road, Ijebu-Ode, at about 7pm and subsequently kidnapped him.
They had then gotten in touch with the family and demanded the ransom sum of N25million for his release.
Ganzallo added that the Service had swiftly moved in, located the hideout and freed the hostage while arresting the suspects.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers, Peters said he regained his freedom 48 hours after he was abducted, saying the kidnappers pointed a gun at him, collected his car keys and stuffed him into the car booth. The car was later abandoned at Iwesi Quarters, Ijebu-Ode at about 8pm.
“I was blindfolded and on arrival at their hide-out, I was tortured and asked to put a call through to my family. The gang leader demanded for N25million ransom.
They called my family on my phone and ordered them to pay N25million ransom.
They tied my hands. But after much pleas, they reduced the ransom to N5million. At that stage, I asked my family to sell my house and other valuables to save my life before luck ran against them when the vigilance service burst the hideout and rescued me,” he said.
In his confession to their crime, the gang leader said they kept their victim in the car booth before taking him to their hide-out located at Ajobo village, in Odeda Local Government Area, along Abeokuta-Ibadan road.
He added that they fed their victim with bread, soft drink and sachet water within 48 hours of the victim’s captivity.
However, Ganzallo told newsmen that findings revealed that the victim’s car was abandoned by the gang in Ibadan. He said the suspects would be handed over to the police.