Operatives of the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, have arrested and detained four members of a syndicate who specialised in kidnapping and robbing residents of Ogun.

The Zonal Police Public Relations Officer (ZPPRO), CSP Umma Ayuba, confirmed this in a statement on Monday in Lagos.

Ayuba said that the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in charge of the zone, Adegoke Fayoade, received a report of the suspects’ activities and detailed a team of detectives from the Zonal Dragon Squad 2 to investigate and bring the suspects to book.

“On May 8, three suspects, ages 25, 28, and 30, were apprehended at Sabo Hausa Market, Eleweran, Abeokuta while planning a robbery operation.

“The apprehension of the three suspects led to the arrest of a 45-year-old man in his hideout at Onigbedu, Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.

“The suspects confessed to taking part in the hijack of cement-laden trucks along Onigbedu Area of Ewekoro in Ogun State,” she said.

Ayuba added that in the course of an investigation, the suspects confessed to kidnapping two Chinese nationals on Aug. 11, 2024 (Liang Ding Jia ‘m’ and Chen Wen Guang ‘m’) and received N30 million as ransom for their release.

“One of the suspects, the 28-year-old, confessed to taking part in a robbery operation at Obada Oko on Jan. 27, where he forcefully had unlawful canal knowledge of a 62-year-old woman right in the presence of her children.

“The victims identified him and narrated their ordeal in the hands of the gang.

“During an interview with the 62-year-old woman, she explained that the suspect wanted to have unlawful canal knowledge of her daughter, but she pleaded with him.

“Then he turned to her and forcefully had his way with her in the presence of her two children.”

The ZPPRO said that items recovered from the suspects include one locally made pistol, three live cartridges, two unregistered Bajaj motorcycles, and one Beretta pistol with 13 live ammunition.

The image maker said other exhibits recovered from the suspects were N300,000 cash, one iPhone 7+, one small Tecno phone and Opay Digital Service, and a UBA ATM.

According to her, an investigation is ongoing and efforts are being intensified to apprehend other suspects at large and recover all exhibits; thereafter, suspects will be charged in court upon completion of an investigation.