The Edo State Police Command has arrested a 52-year-old Islamic teacher, Jubril Ibrahim, over alleged involvement in preparing charms for suspected kidnappers operating in the Edo North Senatorial District.
Ibrahim was among 11 suspects paraded by the command in Benin City on Tuesday, including four alleged kidnappers and a suspect linked to the reported theft of a baby in the state.
Parading the suspects, the Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daor, said the alleged kidnappers were apprehended in Niger State following intelligence-led operations by police personnel.
Ibrahim, however, denied making charms for kidnappers, claiming that his involvement with one of the suspects, 24-year-old Ahmadu Suleiman, was limited to prayers for his safety.
Speaking through an interpreter, the Islamic teacher said Suleiman’s mother had approached him to pray for her son because he travelled frequently.
He admitted that he knew Suleiman possessed a firearm but maintained that his role was simply to pray for his safe journeys.
Suleiman, on his part, reportedly admitted participating in a kidnapping operation in Auchi and disclosed that he had worked with different criminal groups across the country.
The suspect said the gang usually targeted communities after identifying houses and vehicles they considered valuable, before using gunfire to create panic and abduct residents.
He claimed that he received N1m from the Auchi operation, which he described as the only kidnapping incident he participated in within the area.
The police also paraded a 21-year-old suspect allegedly linked to the theft of a baby around Ring Road, Benin City, while a stolen vehicle was recovered during the operations.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, said the arrests followed the gathering and utilisation of intelligence by police operatives.
Ikoedem appealed to residents to continue providing credible information to security agencies, stressing that timely intelligence remained crucial to preventing criminal activities and apprehending suspects.
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