Tobiloba Olayinka, a 21-year-old sales boy, has been arrested by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ekiti Command, for reportedly threatening to abduct his employer if he does not pay a sum of N1.5 million.
Mr. John Fayemi, the NSCDC Commandant in Ekiti, said the suspect was apprehended by members of the Command’s anti-terrorism operations on January 8 after a careful investigation.
According to Fayemi, the suspect allegedly wrote to his boss in December, threatening him with kidnapping until he paid N1.5 million.
“We have a case involving Tobiloba Olayinka, a 21-year-old salesman who was arrested by counter-terrorism squad members for threatening to kidnap his boss, Hamzat Adebisi.
“Upon discreet investigation, the suspect was arrested on the 8th of January, 2022. The boy has been a sales boy for the victim, but he cooked up a letter using strange name and account number and demanded a sum of N1.5 million, else his employer would be kidnapped.
“But for the quick response of my men, he was botched after discreet operation . He used fictitious name , account and telephone number to defraud his employer. We tracked his number and he was arrested,” he said.
According to him, the Command also nabbed a 21-year old Ayodeji Fanas, for stealing a sum of N500,000 under the guise of helping his victim to purchase a vehicle.
“After thorough investigation, we gathered that he used the money to buy phones for himself and various gifts for his girlfriend while also embarking on spending spree during yuletide by lying to his friend that it was his father that sent him a sum of N100,000 for Christmas and New Year celebrations”.
The commandant also paraded one Daniel Emmanuel, who was alleged to have stolen fabricated metals, saying the man became a suspect owing to his recurrent involvement in nefarious crimes in the area where the incident happened.
He assured that all the suspects would be prosecuted after the conclusion of investigations into their matters.
Fayemi described as mere insinuation, the rumour that members of a certain ethnic group perpetrating crimes in Ekiti were being spared from arrest and prosecution.
“Most of these things are insinuation. Recently, the federal government listed bandits as terrorists , so law has no respect for ethnicity and religion. Those perpetrating crimes are not being arrested based on ethnicity or religion,” he said.
Fayemi regretted the upsurge of kidnapping in the society and internet fraud on campuses across the country, predicating this on youth perception that it was an opportunity to get rich quickly and easily.
“We are working with police and DSS to unravel those who are perpetrating theses crimes. We are also working with religious, traditional and community leaders for enlightenment campaign to conscientise the youth and wean them of their criminal tendencies.
“We know that we have to be proactive, that is why we are gathering intelligence to foil some of the activities of these criminals kidnapping people and defrauding people via interne.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
