Police counter FAAN, say ‘kidnappers’ logistics suppliers’ not bandits arrested at Akure airport

The police command in Ondo says the four suspects arrestedat Akure airport in Ondo are not bandits but logistics suppliers to kidnappers. In a statement on Monday, Abayomi Jimoh, Ondo policespokesperson, rejected the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) reportthat four bandits were arrested behind the Akure airport perimeter near Eleyewocommunity. FAAN, in a statement late Sunday, had said the bandits wereapprehended following a “coordinated security operation involving aviation andlocal security agencies”. “During the operation, some individuals were seen attemptingto flee the area. Four suspects were eventually apprehended by the jointsecurity team and have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force AreaCommand for further interrogation,” FAAN had said. In a counter statement however, Jimoh asked the public todisregard “inaccurate reports suggesting that bandits” were arrested at theAkure airport. The Ondo police spokesperson said the arrested kidnappers’logistic suppliers have made “useful confessional statements that are currentlyaiding ongoing investigations”. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Command wishes to stateclearly that no such incident occurred at the Akure Airport, and there was nosecurity breach of any kind at the facility,” the statement reads. “The command, however, received credible intelligence from aconcerned citizen regarding the activities of suspected kidnappers around theEleyewo axis of Akure. “Acting swiftly on the tip-off, operatives of the Commandlaunched a targeted operation in the area which led to the arrest of twosuspects. “Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspects areKidnap Logistics Suppliers aiding kidnap activities within the state. “They have since made useful confessional statements thatare currently aiding ongoing investigations and efforts to apprehend othermembers of the criminal network. “The Ondo state police command therefore urges members ofthe public to disregard the inaccurate reports suggesting that bandits werearrested at the Akure Airport, as such claims are false, misleading, andcapable of causing unnecessary panic.” ‘NO BANDITS IN ONDO’ Speaking with journalists in Akure, Adebowale Lawal,commissioner of police in the state, said the report that four bandits werearrested at the airport was inaccurate. “Let me quickly debunk that issue of arrest of four bandits.We don’t have bandits in Ondo state. We have criminals, not bandits,” Lawalsaid. The police chief explained that the command only arrestedtwo suspects believed to be logistics suppliers aiding kidnappers operatingwithin parts of the state. “Two suspected logistics suppliers to those criminals andkidnappers were arrested along the Eleyewo and Ilu-Abo axis. One other suspectwas arrested at Ilu-Abo but was not connected to the first two,” he said. Lawal insisted that none of the suspects was arrested insidethe airport facility as suggested in FAAN’s statement. “So they were never arrested at the airport, contrary to thepress statement made by the FAAN management staff,” he added. Asked if the police were directly disputing FAAN’s accountof the incident, the commissioner responded: “Yes, of course. We carried outthe operation. So they were not there. They were not arrested inside theairport.” He further clarified that the suspects were only taken closeto the airport area during the investigation after being compelled to leadsecurity operatives to other possible hideouts. “They were leading them to where others were. So they werenot actually arrested at the airport,” Lawal added. Since the turn of the year, Ondo state has witnessed a surgein violent attacks, leading to deaths and abduction of residents. On March 3, protesters from Ayede Ogbese community, in Akurenorth LGA of Ondo, blocked the popular Akure-Owo-Benin highway over incessantkillings and abductions in their community. On March 10, residents of Ilu-Abo and neighbouringcommunities in Akure North LGA of Ondo, barricaded the Akure-Owo expressway, inprotest against rising cases of kidnapping in the area.

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