Police arrest seven over ‘abduction’ of Ondo varsity lecturer

The Ondo police command says its operatives have arrested seven suspects linked to the abduction of Omoniyi Samuel, a lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko.

In a statement on Thursday, Funmilayo Odunlami, police spokesperson in Ondo, said one of the suspects, Benson Alaba, a 45-year-old commercial motorcyclist from Akungba-Akoko, exploited his familiarity with the lecturer to track his movements.

Odunlami said Alaba visited Samuel’s residence on August 4 under the pretext of requesting a mobile phone, but it was a calculated move to monitor the lecturer’s routine and pave the way for his abduction.

“Eyewitness accounts confirmed that the five acted in concert with Alaba and under Wasiu’s facilitation to forcibly abduct the victim and demand ransom from his relatives,” the statement reads.

The police spokesperson added that another suspect, Ogungbemi Wasiu, 42, from Ikare, supplied the Itel handset used by the gang to contact Samuel’s family for a ransom of N5 million.

Odunlami said Wasiu claimed he lost the device on August 2 but failed to report the matter to the police—an omission that aided the kidnappers in maintaining communication during negotiations.

Odunlami noted that Samuel is currently receiving treatment at the university’s health centre.

He dismissed earlier reports that the suspects were caught while sharing ransom money, saying they were arrested through “carefully coordinated follow-up operations based on credible intelligence”.

The police spokesperson warned against spreading disinformation, noting that false claims could undermine investigations and embolden criminals.

Adebowale Lawal, commissioner of police in Ondo, assured that efforts are ongoing to track down other fleeing accomplices.

Lawal commended Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), for his “strategic guidance” that has boosted the command’s operations.

The other five suspects in custody are Audu Shaibu (25), Ismaila Abdullahi (24), Nuru Bature (18), Usman Baba (20) and Yusuf Muhammed (23), who are all residents of Owo.