The Ondo State Police Command has announced the arrest of seven suspects linked to the abduction of Mr. Omoniyi Samuel, a lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA).
According to a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka Olushola, the arrests were the result of a discreet, intelligence-driven operation that uncovered the coordinated roles of each suspect in the crime.
Investigations revealed that Benson Alaba (45), a commercial motorcyclist from Akungba-Akoko who regularly transported the victim to work, used his familiarity to monitor and track the lecturer’s movements.
On August 4, 2025, he visited the victim’s home under the guise of borrowing a handset, a ruse later confirmed to be a ploy to set up the kidnapping. Shortly after his departure, other gang members abducted the lecturer.
The police also identified Ogungbemi Wasiu (42) from Okeruwa, Ikare, as the provider of the Itel handset used to contact the victim’s family for a ₦5 million ransom. Despite claiming he lost the handset on August 2, he failed to report the loss, a deliberate act that aided the gang.
Five other suspects namely Audu Shaibu (25), Ismaila Abdullahi (24), Nuru Bature (18), Usman Baba (20), and Yusuf Muhammed (23) all from Agopanu, Owo, were implicated in the physical abduction and ransom demands. Eyewitness accounts confirmed their active involvement in the crime.
The Command categorically dismissed earlier reports that the suspects were caught while sharing ransom money, clarifying that they were apprehended through follow-up operations based on credible intelligence.
Ondo State Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, commended the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, for his strategic guidance and morale-boosting initiatives, which he said have been instrumental in improving security operations in the state.
The victim is currently receiving treatment at the AAUA Health Centre.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
