The Ondo State Police Command on Thursday revealed that an Okada rider arrested among new suspects linked to the kidnapping of Adekunle Ajasin University staff member, Mr. Samuel Omoniyi, played a key role as a mastermind of the crime.
Omoniyi, a faculty officer in the university’s Faculty of Education, was abducted alongside another unidentified man a few days ago in the Supare-Akoko Community of Akoko South-West Local Government Area.
The victim was reportedly taken by hoodlums as he returned home from work, with the abductors later demanding N7 million as ransom.
While Omoniyi was eventually released last Sunday, sources revealed that his family paid an undisclosed sum before his release at Ago Panu Community in Owo Local Government Area.
In a statement, the police command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed that one of the suspects, a commercial motorcyclist who regularly transported the victim, provided crucial information to the kidnappers.
According to the statement, the suspect, identified as Benson Alaba, “used his familiarity to spy on the victim’s movements. On August 4, 2025, he visited the victim’s residence without prior arrangement, under the pretence of requesting a handset.
This was later confirmed to be a calculated ploy to study the victim’s activities and create an opening for the syndicate. Shortly after his departure, other gang members moved in and abducted the victim.”
The statement also noted that Ogungbemi Wasiu of Okeruwa, Ikare, “provided the Itel handset used to contact the victim’s family to demand a ransom of N5m. Although he claimed the handset was lost on August 2, 2025, he failed to report the loss to the police, a deliberate omission that aided the criminal enterprise. His role was critical in maintaining communication between the kidnappers and the victim’s relatives, thus facilitating the ransom negotiations.”
Other suspects recently apprehended include Audu Shaibu, Ismaila Abdullahi, Nuru Bature, Usman Baba, and Yusuf Muhammed, all from Agopanu, Owo. The police spokesman confirmed their involvement.
He further explained, “An eyewitness testimony confirmed that these five suspects, acting in concert with Benson Alaba and under the operational facilitation of Ogungbemi Wasiu, participated in forcibly abducting the victim and directly demanding the ransom from the family during the incident. The seamless coordination between Benson Alaba’s surveillance, Ogungbemi Wasiu’s communication support, and the aggressive role of the five field operatives points to a well-organised kidnapping syndicate.”
The PPRO added that Omoniyi is currently receiving treatment at the Adekunle Ajasin University Health Centre and emphasized that “the apprehension of the suspects was the result of carefully coordinated follow-up operations based on credible intelligence, and not during any alleged ransom-sharing activity.”
