AFTER THE VICTIM DIED, WHY DID WE SEEK A RANSOM? — KIDNAP SUSPECT

Akinmola Oyekanmi, a kidnapping suspect who was detained by the Ondo state security unit under the code name Amotekun, has explained why he and his group continued to seek ransom from the family of their murdered victim.

Akinmola, who was displayed among other alleged criminals harassing the state’s citizens, said that the victim passed away in their care while talks with his family were ongoing.

The woman was traveling from the Mower area in Ogun state to Ondo state when the culprit and three other gang members kidnapped her.

It’s unfortunate that the gun belonging to one of my gang members accidently fired and murdered the victim, he said.

Four of us made the decision to abduct the victim when we saw him approaching.

“The gun we were holding accidentally discharged and hit our target, killing him instantly, while we were dragging and coercing him to collaborate with us.

We proceeded to seek a ransom from the family after realizing he was dead and remembering that he had provided us with a phone number.

Since he provided us with the phone numbers of his family members to speak with about the ransom payment, we didn’t want to completely lose out.

We continued to bargain with the members, but they resisted our demands.

Before paying the ransom, they insisted on speaking with the victim. They may have been worried that he passed away while in our care, in my opinion. However, we told them a falsehood, saying that there was no network where he was confined and that we had to travel there to speak with them since there was a network there.

However, while we were still haggling, the locals in Okitipupa grew suspicious of what was happening. They must have told the Amotekun people, who subsequently ambushed us.

“My other gang members fled, and Amotekun staff employees caught me.

The suspect, who identified himself as a farmer, admitted, “This was my third successful kidnapping operation. Nobody intended to kill the victim, but the gun inadvertently discharged itself and caused his death.

The suspect was apprehended following an intelligence report after killing their victim as other gang members fled the area, according to Chief Adetunji Adeleye, Commander of the Amotekun Corps.

He claims that “the kidnappers took the victim and shot him dead while discussions between the family and the members of the syndicate were still going on, but failed to inform the family that the victim had passed away.

Adeleye claimed that when his men in the area of Okitipupa saw them moving, they pounced on them, found the victim’s body, and captured Oyekanmi while others fled.